The Goode Case
by abigailwarren74
Summary: Foxxay AU in which Cordelia is extremely successful and rich while Misty is just getting by. They each have a daughter who are surprisingly best friends in school despite their differences. Their paths cross and lives change. Set in any major city you'd like, but I wrote this with New York in mind. Just a cute multi-chaptered fic.
1. In Which, We Meet Witches

Cordelia stepped into the walk-in closet of her chic apartment, still figuring out what she should wear today. She bit on her lip all while fidgeting with her black rimmed glasses, subsequently pushing them up and over her head as she walked closer to examine the beading of one of the many blouses she had.

"Mommmmmyyyy," a whine came from the across the room.

"Yes, sweetie?" she chimed, turning around to face her daughter.

Her daughter had straight blonde hair that fell just beyond her shoulders. They shared the same set of bi-colored eyes and the very habit of of biting their lips. _She is indeed a Goode_ , Cordelia thought as she helped her daughter down from the stool that enabled her to reach the clothes she could not reach.

"I don't know what to weaaarrrrr," Julienne cried out again.

It was the first day of school for Julienne who would be entering first grade at the Frances Kollister School, a school for young fine ladies, just down the street from here. It's red brick building stands out amongst the other grey buildings and no doubt, the tuition fees are excruciatingly high. But that was no matter for Cordelia. Her ex-husband, Hank Foxx, was the CEO of Delphi Trust before he died, or you could say, was killed by her mother, Fiona. Hank had left a bunch of money and property after his death to his spouse, who would now never ever need to worry about money.

Fiona and Cordelia are the chairman and vice-chairman of the Robichaux Company, which was a guise for the witches of the city. In the past, it used to run as the sole academy to teach young witches how to control their powers but now, Fiona had expanded it to more than 10 boarding schools all over the country with the main branch in New Orleans run by Myrtle Snow, it now serves merely as the headquarters whereby only huge issues that cannot be solved are reported here.

Her daughter now dressed in a cute white Ralph Lauren polo dress, skipped towards the living room, leaving Cordelia to rush her hair into a ponytail and just throw on a white blouse and a pair of tan cropped pants, grabbing her keys as she hurried into the lift.

###

Misty on the other hand, a waitress in a posh restaurant, had scrimped and saved from her monthly income and the occasional generous tips to enrol her daughter in the city's most prestigious school.

One would think she would name her daughter some kind of lowly classes name like Candy, or Apple but her daughter had a beautiful name. Amelie Day. After the french musical she had watched when she first moved into the city, pregnant and alone.

Misty stood in the mirror, Amelie standing in front of her as she thought about how far she had come. _She thought about the time she was burnt at the stake when people in her community found out she was a witch. They ordered the men to burn her at the stake, but not before they had… She used her power of resurgence to bring herself back. Shortly after, she moved into the city, only to discover she was pregnant. Amelie came 7 months later and the rest was history._

Here she was now, her daughter in tow as she cycled through the streets of the city, feeling the cool autumn breeze against her cheeks.

"Now, I want ya' ta' look at me in da' eye and tell me ya' won't use ya' magic in school," Misty said as she turned her daughter around to face her.

Amelie pouted but gave a quick nod anyway.

"No breakin' ya' promise, Miss Amelie Day," Misty stated firmly before walking hand in hand with her daughter into the school.

###

Their daughters have settled into seats next to one another and began chatting almost immediately. It was like a match made in heaven.

Cordelia navigated her way through the crowd to find the mother of her daughter's new found best friend and she spotted the wild blonde standing against the window pane, hands pressed against the glass, looking longingly at her daughter.

"Hi, I'm Cordelia, and you must be the mother of my daughter's new best friend, I think," the older blonde introduced.

Misty who was clad in a flannel and jeans, was not expecting a lady of such reverence to greet her. She inspected the lady from head to toe. She seemed famous. She even had those signature sunglasses wrapped around her face. _Maybe she was a celebrity._ A train of thoughts started but she was brought back to earth when Cordelia coughed slightly.

Even though she towered above the other lady, she couldn't help but shrink inside at the aura the lady was omitting.

"How d'ya know that's ma' daughter?" Misty forced out, before Cordelia could assume she was mute or something.

The other mothers who had heard her accent, sneered in disgust and began walking away but Cordelia seemed unfazed by it.

"It's just, it would explain the deep set eyes, and _this_ ," she said, gesturing to the messy curls of the younger woman.

Amelie was an exact carbon print of her mother. _Thank god she hadn't taken after the monster that had…_ Misty shivered at the thought of that memory.

Misty was about to say more when she was interrupted by the booming voice, "DELIA! Where's my granddaughter now?"

Fiona had arrived and the crowd had split in two, allowing her to go down the hallway without any trouble.

Cordelia tried to hide her embarrassment. Everyone recognized Fiona. She sighed inwardly as she took off her shades, figuring there was no need to hide now that Fiona had blown her cover.

"Mother," she greeted bitterly.

Now the crowd was in hushed whispers, forming a slight semicircle around the two of them. Misty had silently slipped into the back of the crowd, not wanting to be in any of this.

"It's the Goode family."

"Which one is her daughter?"

"Oh my gosh, is that Fiona Goode?"

"The one with the bi-colored eye of course!"

"Cordelia Goode? Is that her?"

Misty looked at her watch and immediately cursed under her breath. She was late for her shift. She ran out of the school and biked at full speed the whole way to the restaurant.

###

Cordelia had just managed to get rid of her mother, but when she turned around, she realised the mysterious wild blonde had disappeared. She tried to locate her once again in the crowd but failed.

###

The after school bell rang and students made their way out of the school to the grand steps that lead to the lobby.

Amelie and Julienne walked hand-in-hand as they exited the classroom.

"Mommy!" Julienne screamed when she saw her famous mother walk towards them, "this is my new friend, Amy!"

"Hi, Miss Goode, it's nice to meet ya'" Amelie grinned with a slight accent which was not quite as strong as her mother's.

Just then, Misty walked into the school and spotted her daughter who came running towards her lanky legs, hugging them tightly. Misty looked up to see bi-colored eyes staring back at her and for a moment, she was lost in them.

"Hi again, Miss Goode," Misty addressed.

In the short 6 hours her daughter had been in school, she had found out from her co-worker Kyle about the Goode family and boy were they out of their league. What Kyle hadn't known was that the Goode family had magic blood running in their family too, but they kept it well hidden from the human world. She had found out that the older woman was firstly, a widow, and secondly, a very rich widow.

"Amy and I want to play at my house!" Julie exclaimed suddenly.

Cordelia wanted to say yes certainly but was unsure what the other woman had felt. She threw a questioning glance at Misty, waiting for her reply.

"Why couldn't ya choose someone more normal than her," Misty breathed under her breath to her daughter who was oblivious to her mother's distress.

"I don't see why not, ya?" she huffed, louder this time, giving in to her daughter's pouting face. She could never say no to that face.

And both women were dragged off by their daughters into the tall building just right down the street.

Misty marvelled at the beauty of the neighbourhood. She rarely ever got to go past this district unless she was running extremely late for work. The people that lived here were snobbish, but who could blame them? They were rich.

The two of them walked in silence as their daughters ran ahead of them. Boy, oh boy, what had Amelie gotten her mother into.


	2. In Which, We Find Out Her Gift

They reached the building within 5 mins of walking and were ushered up a grand looking elevator. Misty was pleasantly surprised when the elevator door opened into the living room of Cordelia and Julienne's house.

Their daughters scampered off deep into the house where Julienne's room was located.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Water would do," Misty said as she stood starstrucked on the rug. She glanced around quickly when Cordelia had went to her kitchen.

The apartment was mostly white, very minimalistic. The windows were floor lengthed and peeped out into the city's skyline. The view was magnificent. It certainly was _very Cordelia Goode_. There was a staircase near the windows that led up to the other rooms. It was a nice change from their shabby apartment that looked out to an alley at the back and only had a small living area with a love seat and an old television. They 3 cabinets, a stove and a fridge to call the kitchen and their bedroom consisted of a queen sized bed that was pushed up against the brick wall. But it was enough for them. It was enough for Misty. _But was it enough for Amelie?_

Well, at least the chinese restaurant was right next to their block.

"So, your daughter's name is Amy? I forgot to ask, what is your name?" Cordelia questioned as she set the glass of water on a coaster.

"Amelie. Ma' daughter's name's Amelie," Misty grinned at the mention of her daughter, "and ma' name's Misty. Misty Day."

"Misty," Cordelia said, testing out the name on her tongue, "it sounds pleasant." Cordelia internally slapped herself. _What did "it sounds pleasant" even mean?_ She thought. She was sending the wrong signals too soon. The Cajun however, hadn't seem to mind it one bit.

"What 'bout ya' daughter?"

"Julienne. Just Julie usually."

"I see."

Silence took over and Misty shifted awkwardly in the edgy sofa before reaching for the glass of cold water that was sweating on the coffee table.

"So… Amelie? As in the musical?"

"Ya' watched it?" Misty looked up to meet bi-colored eyes.

"Why… yes. I mean, yes, yes I watc-," Cordelia stuttered, suddenly overwhelmed by the cerulean blue eyes that stared back.

She was cut off by Misty's squeal, Cordelia saw that Misty had her eyes on a photo of herself and Stevie Nicks, Fiona's good friend.

"Ya' met Stevie?" Misty gasped, and looked at Cordelia. She momentarily forgot she was in a very expensive penthouse apartment, in a very expensive neighborhood, with a very rich lady opposite her.

"Yes, I did. Indeed."

"O' ma' lord. I finally found someone who understands!" Misty exclaimed as she eyed the grand piano sitting by the corner, "ya' play the piano? Ya' can play Stevie?"

"It's been a while..."

"Play somethin'?"

"No… no… I'm quite bad at it."

"I am sure ya' are not, Miss Goode."

"It's Cordelia, please."

"I love Stevie," Misty proclaimed again, uncaring that their conversation had drifted elsewhere and Cordelia couldn't help but smile at the innocence of the woman sitting opposite her. Misty seemed barely 25. Whereas Cordelia herself was already in her early 30s.

They sat in silence again, Misty happily content with where the conversation had led them and was humming Rhiannon under her breath. Cordelia found herself staring at the blonde beauty in front of her, butterflies in her stomach. The older woman had so many burning questions to ask the Cajun, like how where the accent was from, or how she had ended up in the city. Or why she was such a young mother.

The Cajun stood up and wandered to one of the glass panes, her blonde locks shining under the evening sun. Just as Cordelia was about to ask one of her questions, a long shattering sound followed by a shrill echoed throughout the apartment.

Misty turned around, hoping to find the older woman but was greeted by emptiness. She ran towards the back of the apartment.

Cordelia had managed to transmutate herself into her daughter's room. The sight of Amelie holding on to Julienne's hand in her own palms, breathing out a chant greeted her. Before Amelie could fully let go of her arm, Julienne spotted her mother.

"Mommy," Julienne wailed out loud, yanking her hand out of Amelie's grasp and running towards the straight haired blonde, Amelie stood there unmoving.

"What happened?" Cordelia questioned her daughter as she bent down on her knees and hugged her tightly.

The wild blonde had finally arrived and surveyed the room. It was littered with dolls and a large framed painting had fallen onto the floor.

"We were trying to play the dolls with our powers and… and one of the dolls went flying to the painting… and I am sorry mommy..." Julienne hiccupped.

Misty stared wide eyed at her daughter. She had used her powers outside of the house when Misty specifically said not to. Amelie's face said it all. She knew she was in trouble.

"And… and….."

"Hey, take your time baby," Cordelia soothed.

"I got a big booboo trying to pick up the glass and it was bleeding but Amy… she fixed it with her hands..."

"What did you do?" Misty bellowed, punctuating every word, her accent suddenly disappearing into thin air.

"Misty, I think it's alright." Cordelia tried to calm the wild blonde who had turned another 10 shades of red.

Amelie opened her mouth to speak but was dragged out of the apartment by her mother, silent tears falling from her face.

###

"Amelie. What did ya' do."

"Mom, she had powers too!"

"What did I tell ya' 'bout usin' ya' powers?"

"But she was hurt, mom!" Amelie cried out, "is it not right to help her? She was bleeding!"

Misty paused. That was a grey area there. If it had been her, she would've used her powers too.

"Yes, it was right of ya' ta' do that," Misty finally sighed, "but now Miss Goode knows ya' got powers! What if she's a witch hunter? What are we gonna do? We gotta leave..."

"Mom! Julie's got powers too!"

"Wait what ya' sayin'"

"She made the dolls move, mommy… 'am sorry mommy" her daughter whimpered, now full on crying as she threw her arms around her Cajun mother who hugged her tightly.

"She made the dolls move..." Misty repeated as she drew soothing circles on her daughter's back. That meant…

Cordelia's daughter must have the power of… telekinesis.

###

Fiona had felt something wrong in a gut and immediately made herself present at the scene. She looked at the mess the room was in and waved her hands while the mess cleared itself up.

"Does your booboo still hurt, darling?" Cordelia asked gently, holding her daughter's hand gently.

"No… Amy made it better mommy."

Fiona mouthed, "What happened?" to her daughter and Cordelia had mouthed, "wait" before looking back at her daughter.

"Why did you use you powers?" Cordelia questioned softly.

"Because it was more fun mommy… please don't be angry..."

"I am not angry baby, I am just trying to understand the situation better, okay? And how did Amy make your booboo heal?"

"She saw me bleeding and then she just held me hand in her hands and she said something that I don't understand and it was all gone..."

Cordelia eyed her daughter before moving her eyes to meet her mother's.

"Did it sound something like, _Sequere lucem venire ad me, et exaudiam te curabo morbi_ , (follow the light come with me, cure your illness I hear thee plea!)" Fiona added.

Julienne nodded ever so slightly.

"Okay Julie bug, why don't you play with your dollies while me and mimi talk?" Cordelia said, referring to Fiona.

"But I don't wanna be alone," Julie whinned.

"Okay, why don't you go play the piano in the living room? How about that?"

"Okay, mommy"

###

Fiona looked at her bewildered daughter.

"Cordelia?" Fiona spoke as she sat next to her daughter on the couch, sipping on her coffee.

"It's just this other mother I met at the school. Her daughter, that Amelie girl, became instant best friends with our bug," Cordelia chuckled as she pointed to her daughter, "they wanted to come have a playdate here. So they were playing with the dolls and I think Julie just lost control for a bit and one of the dolls crashed into the painting and she got hurt while trying to pick it up. The rest was just what Julie said."

"Power of healing… that girl was gifted with it."

Cordelia nodded. From what Cordelia knew, the power of healing was only gifted to a rare few in the wizarding world. Fiona herself had only known of 2 cases. The first being the supreme Mimi DeLongpre, the second being an unknown witch. This power manifested in children as young as 3 years old and it was said only the children of witches who had the kindest of hearts of their generation and had mastered the power of resurgence could be gifted with it. Unlike the power of resurgence in which the person had to be dead to be resurrected, this power enabled the witch to cure another person. From cuts to more serious illnesses like cancer, nothing could stand in the way of the gifted one.

Cordelia clasped her hands together and brought them to her nose. She thought about what she should do next.

"You should try to talk to her." Fiona sounded out after a while.

"I will."

###

Misty sat up in her bed, her daughter sleeping soundly beside her. As she looked at the red swollen eyes of her daughter, she immediately regretted being so harsh towards her. She shouldn't have assumed. But she was trying to protect her. Her mind bounced back and forth berating herself and trying to rationalize what had just happened. She wondered what her next step should be. Should she try speaking to Miss Goode about it? Were they really witches? The Cajun had never met any other witches before. And what would it mean even if they were witches? They couldn't hang out, could they?

They lived in worlds apart. One of Cordelia's meal could probably buy Misty and her daughter four others. It wouldn't matter anyway. The size of Julienne's bedroom was the size of their entire apartment. Misty felt so beneath them. She wished she could give her daughter a life like that too. Her mind ran to the dolls in Cordelia's apartment.

 _Was that what children liked now? Dolls?_ The Cajun only had one soft toy growing up. Sure, she felt a little neglected but she grew up fine didn't she? _Right… Living as a single mother in the city feeling abandoned and lost with no money… Sure she turned out alright…_

Misty walked over to the drawer and pulled out her bankbook. Misty would just have to miss a meal a day for a month before she could probably afford a decent doll from the mall? She could live with that. One meal less for her daughter's happiness? _Bring it on,_ she thought.


	3. In Which, Cordelia Finds Out

Misty had dropped her daughter off at school the rest of the week without getting spotted by Cordelia. She figured it would be awkward for them to meet again so she avoided the other woman completely by dropping her daughter off at school early and picking her up 5 minutes later than usual. But that didn't mean her daughter had stopped being friends with her best friend. Everyday for the past week, Amelie never failed to mention Julienne once in her chronicles at school.

Today however, Misty's luck seemed to have run out.

Amelie had unfinished homework from over the weekends and decided she would then finish it in the morning over breakfast. This resulted in them being slightly later than usual but still being on time for school.

As the bike rounded the street, she spotted a familiar head of blonde.

The blonde was wearing a black long sleeved that flared around the waist and ended just above her knee. She paired them with a pair of louboutins, its signature red sole peeking out. Misty found herself staring at the freckles that littered the other woman's upper chest.

"Julieeeeeee" Amelie called once they have come to a halt, jumping off the bike and running towards the other blonde.

"Misty, it's so nice to see you again!" Cordelia smiled.

"Could say the same fo' ya' too!" Misty grinned from ear to ear for no reason at all. It felt silly. Cordelia was way out of her league, what was she doing?

"I gotta' run tho', ma' shift starts in ten," she added hurriedly before biking off into the next street just as Cordelia was going to ask if they could talk sometime soon.

The older blonde stood there, still looking at the spot where the wild blonde stood. There was something about her that made her feel weird. She shook the feeling off and started walking back to her apartment to get her car.

She was supposed to meet Madison Montgomery at some restaurant upstate. Madison had chosen the place and according to Madison's standards, it was one hell of a good restaurant. As she turned out of the underground carpark in her black Mercedes, her mind couldn't help but wonder how the wild blonde lived her life. Judging from her appearance, she would be rather down to earth. No branded clothes or bags… As for the biking? Maybe she was a health freak.

She smiled to herself when she spotted the valet parking service and handed her keys off to the man.

"Ma'am, do you have a reservation?"

"I think it's under Madison Montgomery?"

"Right this way, Ma'am, you friend is waiting."

Cordelia was brought into a private section of the restaurant and she found herself chuckling. Madison Montgomery had outdone herself again.

"My, my if it isn't Cordelia Goode," Madison squealed as she engulfed her friend in a hug, "you've finally gotten out of that apartment of yours. But honestly, with that view of the city, I wouldn't leave either"

"Hey! I get out often enough alright!" Cordelia defended playfully.

"Right. It's been soooooooo looooonngg, how's life Cordy?"

"Just about the same..."

"Borrrriiiinnnnggggg, there must be something! A new boy toy perhaps? Men must be throwing themselves at you!"

"I wish! These," Cordelia gestured to her woman parts, "dry as the sahara desert." The both of them looked at each other for a bit before bursting out in laughter

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in!" Madison called out in between fierce laughter while Cordelia continued to clutch onto her stomach.

The sliding door opened and Misty stood there with her head bowed down.

"May I take ya' order?" A low raspy voice came.

Cordelia's head shot up at the sound of that familiar accent.

"Misty?" she queried.

Misty's eyes slowly raised to meet bi-colored ones. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't wanted the older woman to find out she was waitressing. She didn't want her daughter to be treated differently. Now Cordelia knew, her sweet Cordelia knew she was as poor as a church mouse. _Her sweet Cordelia? Did she really think that? Argh it didn't matter now._ _Her "sweet" Cordelia was not going to allow her daughter to hang out with some peasant's daughter! Amelie would hate her for this! Oh god, why must this happen!_

"You know her?" Madison asked skeptically.

"Yes, yes I do. Misty, this is Madison. Madison, Misty." Cordelia introduced the both of them.

"Ma'am, if ya' don't mind, I will come back when ya' are ready ta' order." Misty said formally as she excused herself from the room.

Back in the room, Madison asked, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? What was that?"

"I honestly don't know… She's another mom from school you know? She's really nice… unlike some of them..."

Cordelia shrugged it off and figured she would ask Misty later when she was back to take their order but when they pressed the buzzer calling for the waitress, a waiter named Kyle came by instead.

###

"Ma'am, would you like desert to be served now?" Kyle asked when the two ladies had finished their main course.

"Yes, please cute boy," Madison smirked towards the waiter.

"Could you also get Misty?" Cordelia added.

"Misty Day, Ma'am?"

"Yes" she confirmed.

"I am afraid she left a while ago. Her daughter… I am sorry, I don't think I should be sharing this with you Ma'am"

"Wait what's wrong with Amelie?" Cordelia asked, concerned.

"Ma'am I am sorry, I am in no place to-"

"Can I get her number?" Cordelia suddenly blurted out.

"I am afraid..."

"Kyle, don't worry, I am a fellow mom at the school her daughter is studying at. She knows me," she stated while holding out her phone, prompting him to key in the number.

"In that case..." Kyle reluctantly received the phone and punched in Misty's number.

"Thank you so much Kyle"

Kyle excused himself and went to get the dessert while Cordelia contemplated to whether or not she should call Misty now.

"Smooth one Cordy" Madison snickered, looking at Cordelia.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know you were speaking vagina monologues now. The way you got her number? Sneaky," the young blonde remarked, "but I like the new and improved Cordelia Goode"

"What! No… Nonsense!"

"You totally have the hots for that waitress!"

"Madison Montgomery! I do not! I am just worried for Julie's friend. That's all."

"Whatever rocks your boat, Cordy!" the famous star spat sarcastically.

###

After the brunch, Cordelia found herself pacing back and forth her apartment, phone in her hand. She had called Misty on the way back but the call had went straight to voicemail.

Cordelia looked at her phone and saw that it was almost time to pick up her daughter already. Wouldn't do any harm to wait for her a little while, would it? She decided she would just head over to school right now.

When Cordelia approached school, she noticed there were already a few mothers waiting outside of school. She tried to stay as far away from them as possible but they had spotted her and were now stalking over in her direction.

"Miss Goode!" One redhead pointed out, "It's always pleasant to see you!"

"Mmhm," Cordelia gave a halfhearted answer. It was obvious they were trying to get on the good side of her.

"Would you mind to be so kind as to join us for a fancy cup of tea sometime soon?"

Cordelia politely rejected them. A few other questions and offers came but when the other mom's realized their efforts were futile, decided to just gossip instead. Cordelia figured it wouldn't do any harm to listen to the gossip anyway, so she stuck around and fiddled with her phone while listening. Mostly they were talking about the birthday bash of one of their kids that was held last week on Friday and this other mother who had brought cupcakes with artificial flavoring to the party. That was until she heard something that resembled the wild blonde.

"Did you hear about the one with the crazy hair?"

"The one with the accent?"

"Yes yes! For my daughter's birthday party, she didn't even get a decent present!"

"What did she get Marcy?"

"A couple of chocolates that were in an old glass jar. She could've at least gotten a nicer looking jar or something"

"Ew! I bet she got them from the dollar shop."

"Did you let Marcy eat them!"

"Of course not, I just threw them away!"

"Enough!" Cordelia hissed. She threw them a glance that could kill and walked away. The other mothers had gone quiet. Who dared to talked back Cordelia Goode?

Cordelia thought back about the party. She had sent Julienne to it with the newest Harrod's bear she could find and a bunch of expensive bagels she pre-ordered from town. Birthday parties were never a trouble. She figured she would just get the newest and the best. No one dared talk bad about that. She hung her head low in shame when she noticed she hadn't realized that there would be people who were struggling to make ends meet, like Misty. She was a waitress for god's sake… and most of that money probably went into school fees! How was Misty even surviving? Then suddenly she understood. The plain clothing, was not because she was down to earth, she simply didn't have enough money! The biking… she needed to get to school quick but didn't have a car and lived away from this Neighbourhood.

The bell had rung, breaking her train of thoughts. Her daughter came running out to her.

"Hey Julie bug, how was school today?"

"No good," Julienne said with her voice cracking.

Cordelia stopped in her tracks when she heard it.

"Hey what's wrong? What happened" She questioned.

"Amelie cried real bad today. Teacher Lynn had to call her mommy to pick her up."

"What about you? Are you alright? Why did Amelie cry?"

"I'm okay mommy. But Marcy and Yvonne were being so mean to Amelie because of her accent and because of the gift she gave Marcy last week. I tried the chocolate, they were alright! They are so nice to me but they bullied Amelie while I was in the toilet!"

"What did they say?"

"I'm very sure they called her a swamp rat, but I am almost sure that was not the only one"

As if on cue, Cordelia's phone started ringing. She ushered Julienne into the lift while picking up the phone.

"Misty Day here. I received a missed call from this number. May I know ya' are?"

"Hi Misty this is Cordelia here."

"How did ya' get ma' number?"

"From Kyle."

"Damn Kyle..." Mist breathed angrily.

"Hey hey I begged him for you number. If anything, it's my fault," Cordelia defended quickly, not wanting to ruin anything between Kyle and Misty, "I just wanted to ask if Amelie was okay."

"How d'ya know..."

"Julie told me everything. She's very upset it happened."

"Hey, if this's' really 'bout not wantin' Amelie to hang out with Julienne cause' I'mma waitress, please don't do this, it's 'bout ta' children, not me. I raised my daughter ta' be the best person that she can be and me bein' a waitress will not affect that. Ya' can look down on me all ya' want but not ma' daughter, please." Misty begged, a silent tear rolling down her face. She figured Cordelia would be just like the other mothers, Marcy's mom, Yvonne's mom.

Cordelia was so confused, "What? Misty. No. I would never stop the children from hanging out. Why would I? I am not like the other mothers. I would never, ever, ever look down on someone because-"

"Mommy can I speak to Amy pleaseeeeeee," Julienne pleaded.

"I'll talk to you about this later, Julie wants to talk to Amy, is that okay?" Cordelia asked on her daughter's behalf.

"Hold on, just gimme' a minute"

"Harllowwww?" Amy spoke.

"Julie!" A high pitch voice came through.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I'm better. But ya' know what can make me feel betta'? Playin' with dollies!" Amelia chimed as she turned around to search for approval from her mother who had went to answer the incessant banging on the front door. Four men entered their cramped apartment, "YOU HAVE BEEN LATE FOR PAYMENT" one of them boomed, "PAY UP BITCH, YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS?"

"Mommy can Amy come over? Dollies can help Amy feel better," Julie said as she passed her phone back to her mother and looked up at her hopefully, pulling Cordelia out of the elevator into their living room.

"Darling..." Cordelia paused, pressing the phone to her ear, hearing some commotion on the

other end.

"Stop! MOMMMYYYY!" was heard from the other line, a sharp scream and a thud and then the line went silent.

"Misty? MISTY?"


	4. In Which, We Witness a Love Budding

Misty was late on her payment of rent for two months now. She simply couldn't afford, saving most of it up to pay a whole lump sum of cash to the school and she also had to get her daughter school supplies.

Misty took the first punch. It hit her square in the jaw and she could almost feel the entire thing dislocate. Another blow came her way, causing her to lose her balance and crash backwards against the wall. Misty yelped loudly as another blow came again and another and another. Until the whole world became stars and she felt blood dripping from her nose and her mouth.

"We'll be back, lady. And the next time, you better have money or..."

She heard a wail. Her daughter. Misty tried to move but she couldn't. Tears sprung from her eyes as she felt so helpless, not being able to protect her daughter and in that moment, she did something she hadn't done since she left that hell hole in New Orleans, she prayed. She prayed that her guardian angel would save them.

###

Cordelia felt a sick feeling in her stomach and sunk onto the marble floor of their living room. Something bad had happened to Misty. She needed to find her, but how? She fumbled with her phone and dialed for her mother.

"Fiona, I need you here right now."

Fiona heard the urgency in her daughter's voice and appeared in front of her. "What's wrong, Delia?"

"Misty Day is in trouble."

"Go, I will keep Julie company."

"Mommy?" sounded out a sweet voice.

"Mommy's got important things to do now Juls. Why don't Mimi play tea party with you?"

"Okie!" Julienne exclaimed.

###

Cordelia meanwhile had found herself in a sketchy neighbourhood.

"Hey Lady!" a man on the street whistled.

It felt wrong, yet all right being here. Cordelia closed her eyes tights. Something was drawing her towards a reddish-brown apartment building. She transmuted herself towards her instinct and prayed hard it was the right apartment.

###

Misty was falling in and out of consciousness. The men had beat her up quite badly. She thought she saw a figure rush past. _Her daughter. Where in the world was her daughter?_ Everything went black.

###

When Cordelia found them, daughter laying atop mother, unconscious, she held both their hands and transmutated them back into the apartment.

When Amelie awoke, she immediately tried to heal her mother again but Fiona advised against it as it drained too much of her. Fiona thought Misty was too far gone and had said she would rather have the lady die and resurrect her than heal her from this state. Amelie was insistent though, that stubborn little girl… And Fiona gave in after a while, helping instead. There were still a few bruises here and there but most of the internal injuries were gone now.

Now Misty lay on the bed and Cordelia reached over the brush Misty's hair out of her face. The younger witch looked so vulnerable in her unconscious state. Cordelia's heart was racing. She hadn't felt this way. Not with her ex-boyfriends. Not with Hank. As she continued to caress the younger blonde, her fingertips accidently brush against bare skin. She hadn't thought twice about visions as they don't happen very often anymore. She could usually control them but this time,

A Sight took over her.

 _Misty Day's childhood flashed across her eyes, and then all of a sudden she was being dragged on the ground in the mud, and then men were hovering above her as she cried out in pain, then the flames engulfed her. And she awoke again in the bayou, somewhere in New Orleans. She hopped on a bus to the city they were now in, and shortly after became a mother. She cried very often in her room, when the baby was crying. But tears turned into laughter when her daughter slowly grew up._

Cordelia gasped, mouth shaped in an O, at the intensity of the vision.

###

When Misty woke up again, she was in a different place. The sun was just rising. _Wait that isn't right, they couldn't see the sun rise from their apartment._ Only the smelly alley down below. Misty's head throbbed heavily as she rose from the white duvet. _If heaven was like this, she would stay here forever._

She looked down at her fluffy white bathrobe and traced her fingers around the gold embroidery that was on the left pocket. _C? C for Cordelia? Was she at Cordelia's house?_

She popped her head out of the room when a thought struck her. _Where was Amelie? Had the bad men taken her away?_ Her feet pattered down the steps to see a beautiful sight that greeted her. She paused midway on the staircase and looked at Amelie who was dressed in a white burberry polo shirt and beige pleated skirt, her usual hair in two braids that fell on her shoulders. Julie had the same outfit on except it was in a tinge of pale pink and her skirt was red instead.

"Mommy, mommy! Look at my new outfit!" Amelie grinned as she twirled around to show her mother. Julienne stood beside her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Girls! Who are you talking to- Oh! I am glad you're up, Misty. How are you feeling?" Cordelia chirped as she exited the kitchen with a coffee in hand.

Misty was momentarily frozen in her spot. Usually when she saw the older woman, she was dressed to the nines. Today, she stood there in a pair of navy cropped slacks and a GAP shirt, hair in a messy ponytail, face free of make-up. She didn't know the woman wore glasses but there they were, sitting atop of her nose in a nerdy fashion.

 _Gosh, she looks so cute._ Misty thought.

She watched from the staircase as Fiona emerged from the kitchen holding two lunchboxes, passing one to each of the girls.

"Misty, Delia," Fiona acknowledged, "I'll leave you two to talk."

Misty and Cordelia waved goodbye to the girls as Fiona and Delphine ushered them into the lift. Cordelia sunk into the sofa and stared at Misty.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" She smiled at the wild blonde and patted on the space next to her, "Come sit here if you'd like."

Cordelia frowned when Misty opted to sit across her instead but let it go anyway. The older woman crossed her legs on the sofa and shifted until she was comfortable before finally speaking, "Do you want me to tell you what happened? I'm sure it must be hazy."

Misty gave a small nod, not making eye contact with the woman.

"Okay, well, the men got you pretty bad. When I arrived, both you and Amelie were unconscious on the floor."

"They hit her?" Misty gasped, tears flooding her eyes.

"No. No. She was trying to heal you but I guess it was a little too much so she fainted. I brought you both back here and she awoke a few minutes later asking for you. My mother helped her with the incantation and they both managed to heal you without another fainting spell. You wouldn't wake up last night, so I got the helper to changed you into a bathrobe, which explains what you are wearing now."

"Oh, thank god… Thank ya' so much Miss Goode. I don't know what're happened if ya' hadn't found us," Misty thanked as she eyed the older blonde shyly, suddenly weary of what she was wearing and wrapped the bathrobe tighter around herself.

"It's only right after what Amelie had done for Julie. And please, it's Cordelia to you." _And because I can't lose you. Not when I am falling so hard for you._

"Thank ya' so much, Miss Cordelia, I don't know how ta' repay your kindness."

"You don't ever have to, okay? It's what witches do. We help one another," Cordelia saw her chance to bring up the topic she wanted to talk about since the first time they met, "Misty, your daughter. She is gifted."

###

The next hour was spent explaining the whole witch corporation to Misty. The wild blonde was simply happy to have found people like her.

The older woman had so many questions to ask about Misty's time in New Orleans. About the men that burnt her at the stake. The vision was hazy around that part, as though Misty herself had suppressed those memories. Cordelia tried at prompting the wild blonde to talk about her past, but she seemed to want to keep her mouth zipped about that.

###

The wild blonde was attracted to the windows like a bug to the light. Cordelia found herself staring at the beauty who stood there, swaying a little as she hummed out another one of Stevie's song. _Gosh, I really fell hard for her._

"It's a nice view, huh?" Cordelia spoke as she joined the blonde at the windows.

"Yea..." the wild blonde whispered.

Misty thought about the life Cordelia had. The life she would probably never have. Were they friends now?

"Yes, of course I am your friend. I could be more if you wanted" Cordelia responded boldly to Misty's thoughts.

"What how didya' know ma' thoughts? And what did ya'mean ya' could be more?" Misty she couldn't believe what she just heard.

She looked down to meet the bi-colored eyes. It was only now she had realised how blue one of them were. It was like the sapphire in it burned for eternity. The brown one was the colour of the tree barks she had familiarized herself with back in the bayou. That eye hid rows of forests behind them. There was something magical about those eyes. She stared deep and hard into them.

"You were thinking out loud. And..." Cordelia said, still looking at the swamp witch.

"An' what?" Misty breathed hazily. Silence engulfed them in a sheet except for the cool hum of the air conditioner in the background.

Cordelia took a step towards Misty, narrowing the gap between the both of them. She held her hand up to cup Misty's cheek, ensuring to block off all visions. She looked long and hard into cerulean blue eyes, seeking for approval before her head tilted and their lips grazed gently until the swamp witch closed up the remaining distance and crashed her lips onto Cordelia's. Cordelia's tongue licked against Misty's lips, seeking to enter her mouth. The older woman grinned into the kiss when she felt the swamp witch's lips part and their tongues engaged in a sacred dance, battling for dominance over the other. Misty's lanky arms wrapped tightly around the older woman, snaking around until she grabbed the back of the older woman's head and pushed her further into the kiss.

They both broke away simultaneously in a desperate attempt to reclaim some air before they had run out completely.

Cordelia smiled and bit her lips.

"Did that answer your question, Miss Day?"


	5. In Which, Amelie Says Sorry

Misty found herself in the bathroom half an hour later, singing to herself while inspecting the bruises that were still left behind.

She pressed her finger into an awfully blueish bruise and let out a yelp in the shower. Her finger trailed down her visible rib bones and counted them one by one. _Ain't that so depressin'_ , she thought.

Ocean blue eyes wandered to the rows of shampoo that lined the concave in the wall. She took one out and poured it out onto her palm. It smelled heavenly, a mixture of something sweet and perhaps strawberries. The one she had at home was the usual lavender one that smelled strongly of chemicals.

###

Cordelia ran her hand through her blonde hair and pulled apart her ponytail. _Did the kiss mean the same thing to the both of them?_ Bringing her fingers to her lips, she bit on them for a bit. If Fiona were here, she would say, "get that filthy shit out of your mouth!" But then she wasn't here to chide her daughter so Cordelia continued biting them anyway. She waved her hand at the flat screen TV and it came to live.

"Hey," Misty called after exiting in a pair of Cordelia's sweatpants and a fleetwood mac shirt Cordelia vowed to give her after seeing the swamp witch's small freak out when the shirt was revealed.

"Come sit here!" Cordelia beamed as she patted the seat next to her and this time, Misty obliged and sat there. The older woman could feel the heat radiating off the younger woman and suddenly felt a need to snuggle. Cordelia bit her lips and contemplated her actions before thinking, _screw it. She could just push me away if she felt like it._ So she scooted a little closer to the taller blonde and let her hands play with the tips of the wild curls.

Misty seemed to get the idea of where this was going and pulled the older woman closer to her, enveloping the shorter woman in a tight hug.

Cordelia beamed and put her head on the wild blonde's shoulders, enjoying this feeling while breathing in the scent of Misty. It was her body wash, yes but it smelt different on Misty. She silently wished she could do this everyday. Hank hadn't been one to enjoy cuddles when he was still alive but at least there was some sort of comfort in having emotionless sex, at least it was connection. But since he died 2 years ago, it had been loneliness all over again like the times before Hank. On the other hand, Misty… Well, Misty…

The excited chatter signaled the girls' arrival back home and they snapped Misty and Cordelia out of their daze.

"Hi Mommy, hi Miss," the both of them chirped.

Both the woman decided to allow the girls to play for a bit but soon it was dinner time.

"Girls! Kitchen! Now" Cordelia called out for what seemed liked the millionth time.

###

Dinner basically consisted of a 7 course meal. There was a mushroom soup, and a dish of sauteed asparagus which the girls had avoided completely, a whole chicken sat in the middle of the table, some sort of Carp lay side by side to it. They were then served a cold salad and then a pasta followed by ice-cream.

Misty and Amelie watched and watched as dish appeared after dish, even when they thought they couldn't stomach any more.

After dinner, both Misty and Amelie were so full Amelie exclaimed, "I think I'm going to exploooodddeee!"

###

Night had fallen in the city and the bright lights from the city center illuminated the dark night.

Misty was intent on going home tonight. She had already troubled Cordelia the night before so she couldn't do it again.

"Amelie! Come'on, let's go," Misty shouted towards Julienne's room.

"Stay, stay!" Cordelia told Misty.

"Oh… No… I can't! Amelie!"

"Don't be daft, we've got so many rooms to spare!" Cordelia began.

She looked at Cordelia and momentarily considered the offer but no. She couldn't take up the offer. It was more of a pride thing than troubling Cordelia. She wanted to show that she was more than capable of supporting her own daughter.

Cordelia kept trying to keep them here and now Misty was annoyed. When Amelie hadn't appeared after the third call, Misty resulted in calling her by her full name.

"Amelie Sara Day. You get out here right this instant," her accent faltering.

She still didn't appear.

Cordelia smirked to herself, knowing that Amelie didn't want to leave either.

But nonetheless called out, "Julienne Harper! Stop hogging Amelie! She needs to go home."

"But MOM..." a response came.

Misty had enough. She stormed to the room and flung the door open.

Amelie and Julie were huddled up in the middle of the room, playing some sort of imaginary tea party with the countless amount of dolls Julie owned. Amelie was dressed in a poofy Cinderella dress while Julienne donned a yellow Belle one.

"Come on, Amelie, we gotta' go," Misty said softly again.

"Mom… I wanna stay," Amelie whined.

Misty flinched when Cordelia's cold palm came in contact with her shoulder. White knuckles from clenching her fist too hard, and gritted teeth in an effort to remain silent, her hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent. Her face was red with suppressed rage. She swung around and mentally snapped at Cordelia.

"No." Misty said firmly turning back to her daughter and walking over, stripping her of her princess identity.

"Mom, why not?" Fresh tears seeping through Amelie's eyes.

"Because… Home is perfectly fine." Misty gulped.

By now, Misty had grab ahold of her daughter's wrist and backpack, leading her in the direction of the elevator at the front of the house.

Amelie tried to release herself from her mother's firm grip and suddenly sat down in the middle of the living room. The sudden weight caused Misty to be pulled back by a step and release the iron grip from her daughter's hand, she looked at her daughter sternly, not believing what she just did.

"But home doesn't have toys!" Amelie shrieked.

Now Amelie was on the floor having a full blown tantrum as Cordelia watched on with Julienne hiding behind her. Fiona had somehow appeared from one of the rooms as well and looked on.

"Amelie Sara Day, you get your butt off that floor right now or..."

"But… but… Julie has all the dollies and toys here and her bed is soft, not like the one we have home. And the food here is good too… And lunch is good and everything is better here. Ya' don't ever buy me any dollies! Not one, Mommy! I've been a good girl. I want one! Why can't we stay here like last night?" Amelie questioned through her cries.

Misty was so embarrassed she wanted to dig up a hole right now and hide it in forever. She knew she shouldn't have said this and she immediately regretted it but

"If you like it here so much, why don't ya' just stay here and ask Miss Cordelia if she could be yer' mother instead of me?" Misty burst.

And with that, she dropped the small backpack she was holding and stormed into the lift, riding it down all the way to level 1, exiting with tears burning in her eyes into the cold fall weather without a coat.

###

Cordelia watched on as Misty marched out of the building.

"Fiona!" She called out, "take care of the girls for a bit, I'm going down."

She received a quiet nod and reached for two coats hanging from the coat hanger before transmutating to the apartment lobby.

Fiona reached out to pick up Amelie who was still on the floor. She placed the small child on her hip and tried to calm her down, pacing around the room for a bit before walking towards one of the windows to see if she could spot Misty and Cordelia.

Cordelia ran out of the apartment building's swinging door and into the cold night, casting a look around the front before spotting a black figure turning round the building. Cordelia chased after Misty on full speed before transmutating in front of her.

"Misty..." the older blonde said as Misty tried to go around her.

When the younger blonde saw that her efforts to get away were futile, she broke into an uncontrollable sob. Her lips quivered at the thought that she was not good enough for her daughter. She never would be. She should have given her up for adoption all those years ago when a wealthy couple offered her money in return for the child. She wouldn't have taken the money but now Amelie would be living a hell of a life. Not a hell life with her.

Cordelia hung the extra coat over Misty's shoulders and put her hand on Misty's back drawing comforting circles as she watched the woman fall apart. If Julienne ever said that to her, she would be in a bigger mess than Misty right now. But Amelie is only 6 this year. You really couldn't blame her for being so straightforward.

"Shhh… it's alright… Amelie, she… she didn't know what she was saying..." Cordelia cooed gently.

"She knew alright! She's old enough to know what she wants in life and it's what I can't provide! You've seen our stinky apartment first hand. Would you want to stay there? It's never enough… It's never enough..."

"Misty… A home… Well, it's not where it is, it's who it's with. Home is a feeling. It is the feeling of warmth and happiness. Of anger and sadness too. Home is the memories, good or bad, it is the times you've spent together. Home is never one fixed place, Misty. Home is where your loved one is."

"You think so?"

"I know so, now why don't we go back up so Amelie can apologize?"

Before anything else could be said, Cordelia's phone rang. It was Fiona.

"Delia, Amelie wants to speak to her mother."

Cordelia handed her phone over the the Cajun who was still sniffling away.

"Hello?" Misty said into the phone.

"Mommy… I'm sorry..." Amelie squeaked, "please come back for me… I don't want any dollies anymore… I want you momma"

"Amy… I… Momma's sorry too 'kay? I'll get ya' 'dat doll ya' wanted tomorrow 'kay?"

"Okay..."

Misty held tightly onto the phone as her heavy breath came out in a cold mist. She srewed her eyes shut as more silent tears dripped down onto the cracked pavement. Cordelia put her hand on Misty's cheek, wiping away any stray tears, looking to see if Misty was alright.

The Cajun passed the phone back to Cordelia.

"Thank ya', Dee" Cordelia's newfound nickname slipped from the Cajun's mouth.

"Dee?"

"Sorry… You don't like it?"

"I love it," the older woman said as her lips curled into a tiny smile. The Cajun mirrored the smiled, eyes still red from the crying but it was alright now. It was alright now.


	6. In Which, Misty Goes Shopping

The next day came like any other day would and the two ladies found themselves in Misty's tiny apartment.

Misty had taken the day off from work to clean up the mess those men have made. As she entered the apartment, she felt her heart skip a beat. It was in a mess. Books were strewn from the bookcase onto the floor, pots and pans have also left their place on to stove and fallen to the floor. The umbrella stand was also no longer upright and the lover seat was out of it's usual place.

"No no no!" Misty cried out when she saw that all her potted plants had been smashed onto the floor. Most of them were dried up by now.

She gently picked the plants, careful to avoid any bits of broken pottery on the tiled floor and placed them on the coffee table. Cordelia watched as the younger witch disappeared into the only room and came out holding a couple of small clay pots that fit into her hand.

The Cajun worked quietly as she placed the dead plants into individual pots, lining them in a row on the glass.

" _Eko, eko, Azarak, Eko, eko, Zomelak, Bazabi lacha Bachabe, Lamac cahi achabahi, Karrelyos."_

One by one, the plants slowly rose up and turned lush green like they were never dead before. She smiled at the sight of it, turning to the older woman who looked joyful too.

"That was amazing, Misty." Cordelia commended, impressed by the wild blonde.

"Ya' think it's cool?"

"I've never seen anything like that." Cordelia confirmed.

###

They had spent the rest of the morning cleaning up the apartment to match it's former state which was not much.

Other than a severely damaged bookcase, there was nothing else to be replaced.

###

Cordelia had driven Misty to Macy's a little bit downtown.

The Cajun wowed at the enormity of the mall. It was nothing like she had ever seen. Sure, she's seen it from the outside, but it was a whole different feeling being behind those doors. Women shopped around with their husbands in tow, holding their countless bags while children played with display toy sets on another level. Everyone felt so happy here.

Cordelia walked behind Misty as she settled her eyes on one particular bookcase. It was not the usual big ones, but rather, it was a small vintage army green one. Misty had been circling around this one for quite a bit before she picked up the price tag and then quickly letting it go like it had burned her.

"You like this one?" Cordelia approached.

"Uh… Nah, this ain't right for me."

"I saw your eyes light up when you saw this one!"

"Ya' must have had ya' eyes crossed, Dee" Misty lied.

She did like this one. She liked it a lot in fact. But it costed a fortune.

Cordelia eyed her suspiciously before picking up the price tag like Misty had before and the swamp witch held her breath, waiting for Cordelia to faint but she was unaffected by it and even smiled.

"You sure you don't like this one?"

"Nope." Misty confirmed, her eyes still locking with the green beauty.

"Alright then, if you can't find anything here, why don't we go see if we can find a nice doll?"

Misty nodded eagerly and they headed up to the fourth level where the toys laid.

As they emerged, Misty's eyes went wide with surprise. Never in her entire life had she seen so many toys. She had expected there to be an aisle for girls and an aisle for boys but instead, there were sections for girls and sections for boys. And they had a baby section, and a toddler section and to top that off, there was a unisex section.

A train set stood in the middle, dividing the sections. Misty found her legs carrying herself towards it despite her willing herself not to.

"Holy shit, Dee."

"Holy shit, indeed."

###

Cordelia introduced the different kind of dolls to Misty. There were those that were hyperrealistic, those that wet themselves. There were stuffed dolls and there were porcelain dolls. There were also wooden ones.

"What da' ya' mean they wet 'emselves?"

"Like pee themselves." but that seemed to earn an even more confused glance from the first timer.

"Whutt?"

"Julie had one of those but it got so annoying so I took it away and stuffed it in the storeroom. I'll show you how it works the next time you're around."

"M'kay… OH! This one's gonna be perfect fo' Ames!" Misty squealed in delight as she picked up a rag doll from the discount basket.

Cordelia shook her head at the wild blonde's lack of knowledge in dolls.

"I think… She would like something more like..." and pointed her index finger to the doll on the top shelf behind the counter.

Misty followed her gaze to where Cordelia had pointed. It was really the most beautiful doll she had ever seen. Probably because it looked exactly like her daughter. The wild curls, the blue eyes and the pale alabaster skin.

"Yea… Wow..." Misty found herself speechless again.

"Why don't we get that for her, huh?"

"Yea… I need to use 'de washroom tho'. Ya' know where it' at?"

"Just go down to the second floor and turn left, there should be a sign."

In truth, Misty had offered to go so she could count the money she had before actually making a purchase. What was she going to tell Cordelia when she didn't have enough?

Cordelia on the other hand had sent Misty to the furthest washroom as she was trying to get something settled. When she saw that the messy blonde had disappeared out of earshot into the crowd, she hastily approached the counter.

"Hi, Ma'am, how may I help you?"

"Umm… That doll? Can I get that." Cordelia pointed to the same doll she had showed Misty a couple of seconds ago.

"Sure Ma'am. That would be 179 dollars after discount. Are you paying by card?"

"Yes," Cordelia said pulling out her American Express card, "and I have one more request..."

"At your service, Ma'am"

"Could you… This is going to sound weird but could you remove the price and put it back first and when my friend comes by to buy this later, tell her it's 15 dollars and it comes with..." Cordelia reached out to her right to pick out a tiny pram for the doll, "this. Just say it comes for free with the doll."

"Ma'am..."

"I know… I know it's a weird request but please?"

"Your wish is my command, Ma'am. That would be 225 dollars in total."

###

Misty had returned back from her toilet break. She didn't know if she had enough or not. She only had 10 crumpled ten dollar bills. But even then, she still had to consider some money for grocery that week…

"Misty! Over here!" Cordelia called out to the wild blonde.

The younger blonde had her head hung low, knowing she would once again have to disappoint her daughter.

"Hey… What's wrong, Mist?"

"I… I don't think I can get that..."

"Oh… Why don't we just go ask for the price first?"

"Yea Dee… I don't think that would'b necessary..." Misty had said but the older woman was not hearing any of it and had already dragged the Cajun over to the counter.

Cordelia made eye contact with the lady that had served her just now and gave a subtle nod.

"Hi Ma'ams, how may I help you today?"

"Hi! We are looking to see that doll up there" Cordelia chirped.

"Sure, Ma'am, let me get that down for you."

"How… how much does it cost..?" Misty stuttered softly. It broke Cordelia's heart in two.

"You're lucky today, Ma'am! It is on a 90% discount only for this hour! And it also comes with one of these," the sales assistant said, waving her hand over the prams at the side of the counter.

"What?" Misty's eyes lit up, "that is sucha' deal, Delia," she said in a hushed whisper.

"Yes it is! Now you should get it for Amelie!" Cordelia smiled, thanking the sales assitant for her quick thinking.

"Ma'am, the total for those two will only be a mere 15 dollars! I suggest you get it soon before it runs out!"

"Ya' really mean it's 15 bucks?"

"Yes Ma'am, it's 15 dollars. Would you like to get it?"

"Course I'll get it!" Misty's voice was louder now, pushing two of her ten bills over the counter.

"Here is your 5 dollar change, Ma'am, enjoy your product!" The lady smiled, handing the large bag over to the Cajun whose eyes were crinkled around the side, mouth wide in a smile.

###

Both blondes exited the mall, Misty holding the white carrier to her chest as if it were very heavy but when Cordelia asked, Misty had chuckled

"I just wanna keep it close to ma' hart' y'know?"

Cordelia joined in with giggles of her own. It was times like this that made her Misty so hella precious.

###

A few days later, Misty's eyebrows creased in worry when the doorbell to her apartment rang again. Amelie came running to Misty from their room, the same worried look plastered over her face.

"Amelie, ya' go ta' ya' room an' call Miss Cordelia 'kay? Hey… don't ya' cry 'kay? Mama's goin' ta' be alright. Ya' call her an' don't come out."

The Cajun ran a hand through the messy curls of her daughters, squeezing her shoulder. She took a deep breath preparing herself for some beating before opening the door. But instead of burly men standing there, a man in a blue collared uniform stood in front of her.

"Special delivery for Miss Day?"

"Yes, that is ma' name."

"Sign here," the pen stuck out the paper in Misty's face.

When she was done, he yelled, "BRING IT UP!"

Misty was about to stop him when she saw the beautiful green bookcase she had seen at Macy's. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as the whole bookcase came into view.

"Where would you want it Ma'am?" the movers questioned as they carried the bookcase into her living room.

"Just here will do," she gestured to the spot her old bookcase stood, "thank ya'"

###

"AMELIE DON'T CALL CORDELIA" Misty yelled the minute the men had left,

"But I already..." Amelie said, phone still to her ear as she collided into Misty who had ran into the bedroom to stop her daughter.

"I see the bookcase arrived today," a warm voice came from the kitchen.

"Where did'ya come from?"

"Home?" Cordelia smirked, walking over to admire the bookcase with the other two blondes.

"So? Do you like your present, baby?" the endearment slipping from the shorter blondes mouth before she could stop it. Her cheeks flushed furiously when she realised what had happened, and she let her head hang low in embarrassment.

Misty recognised the discomfort in Cordelia and put her hand under Cordelia's chin, raising it up to meet her eyes.

"I love it, baby. And I love ya'."

"You do?" Cordelia whispered in a hopeful voice.

"I do."

"In that case… Will you go on a date with me?"

Cordelia was answered with a kiss from Misty.


	7. In Which, We Have Two Moms

Misty Day found herself at Cordelia's luxury apartment more times in the next two months than in her own, being there directly after picking her Amelie up and leaving only when the night had fallen.

Each time, leaving became harder. Amelie wouldn't want… _Scrap that._ Even Misty didn't want to leave.

They had been dating officially for the past two months now and were getting more and more comfortable with each other. Julienne and Amelie had also proclaimed themselves to be sisters in school now.

It was that evening at Cordelia's where the girl's laughter spilled all over the house. Cordelia and Misty had made themselves two cups of coffee and laid on the sofa that faced directly at the windows the Cajun loved.

"Do ya' think snow will be comin' soon?" Misty asked, looking down at the older blonde who had her head rested on her laps.

"Mist, it's only October. Snow won't come till December, baby." Cordelia said as she bobbed the younger woman's nose with her finger.

The Cajun scrunched her face up in response and then focussed her gaze on the windows again. "But don't they always say, vinter is komink!" Misty laughed at her own joke while Cordelia made an exaggerated eyeroll.

"I just can't wait ta' spend Christmas with ya'" Misty admitted.

Cordelia's heart swelled at that comment. Her hand found the swamp witch's face and ran her hand down the strong jawline, down her neck and onto her waist before it found its way to the side of the Cajun's waist and it's tips grazed over the delicate flesh ever so slightly, and then she suddenly dug her index finger into the younger woman's hips, making the Cajun jump up.

"Dee!"

"What?" Cordelia said defiantly in a mock british accent.

"Ya' are going to regret 'dis"

One minute the Cajun's lap was beneath her head, the next, it was straddling her over her waist, a mischievous grin forming.

"NoooOOOooo" Cordelia whined but before she could beg, Misty's fingers have found her sides and were dancing around the length of it. Cordelia writhed underneath her as she let out an uncontrollable laughter. Misty found herself enjoying the moment and laughed along with the older woman.

"Stooop! Stop! I promise I won't jab you again!" Cordelia begged, trying to catch her breath between giggles, her eyes watery from laughing so hard.

"Ya' promise ya' won't but ya' do it again anyway." The younger woman stated matter-of-factly and continued her sweet torture on the woman below her.

"I promise- I- won't!" Cordelia begged again.

"Ya' sure?" The Cajun said with one eyebrow up.

"SURE" Cordelia almost yelled out.

Misty slowly released the grip she had on Cordelia between her thighs and allowed the woman to catch her breath for a moment. Other than the older woman's panting, the house was mostly quiet.

They found it weird that the girls had grown quiet.

Worried blue eyes seeked to meet bi-colored one. The worry was then transferred into the blue-brown ones before they turned to look at the door of Julienne's bedroom.

A few silent seconds passed as the two women grew even more troubled.

And then out came busting both girls, hand in hand as they made their way towards the adults, hardly keeping the cat in the bag.

They stood there in front of the two confused women in hushed whispers.

"No, you say it!"

"You said ya' would start!"

"No!"

"I ain't doin' it!"

"Okay girls… What is this…?" Cordelia finally said after they bickered back and forth.

The girls looked at each other before Julienne finally started,

"I… No… We… want to ask..."

"If we could..."

"If I could call Miss Misty, Mom."

"And if I could call Miss Cordelia, Mom."

"But that would be so confusing because both of you would respond being called mom"

"So we came up with this thing..."

"We would like to call Miss Misty, Mama or Momma." Julienne smiled, looking at Amelie to continue.

"And Miss Cordelia, Mom or Mommy." Amelie finished.

Cordelia held her hands to cover a gasp escaping from her mouth. Misty on the other hand was just stunned beyond. Sure, there were a few times in the past two months when the girls' had called them that but it usually happened when they were perhaps down with a case of the flu or when they were just extremely sleepy.

But this was… _this was different._

Neither Cordelia nor Misty had expected it to come so soon. But after all their children were at that age where people were accepted readily into their lives. And the women were just plain lucky to have been here at the right time to witness this miracle happening right before their eyes.

"And why would you both think of that…?" The older woman said as she recovered from the initial shock.

"'Cause we are sisters!" Amelie exclaimed, swinging her right arm over Julienne.

"And sisters should have mommies. Like everyone else at school!"

"Are ya' sure this ain't because Marcy said somethin'?" a firm accented voice interrupted.

"No it ain't Momma!" Amelie shot back.

"Yea it isn't Mama," Julienne parroted.

And a large smile emerged from both their faces.

"If that is so… Why don't we make this official?" Cordelia said in the heat of the moment, feeling exceptionally proud until she felt her grin falter when she realised she had failed to ask Misty about it first.

But to her relief, the whole apartment erupted in a volcano of agreement.

"C'mere. We are family now."

"Family," Cordelia tested it on her lips like how she did with Misty's name when she first met her, "I like the sound of that."

"Does that mean Amy can stay here forever, Mama?" Julienne looked to Misty for permission. Misty smiled at that gesture.

"Yes, if Miss Cordelia will allow ya' sister ta' stay?" Misty fake pouted at Cordelia.

"That would be the easiest yes I have ever said"

###

Misty looked up to the sky. Tonight was one of those starless nights again. The full moon contrasted the deathly blue that was a sheet around the world, streets lamps illuminating their path. Misty was driving her newest gift from Cordelia. A black Lexus LX.

Other than a car, which the older woman had insisted she get for Misty so they could safely get home in the dark of the night, which she now wouldn't need since they had just moved in, Cordelia had also gifted Misty of that beautiful vintage green bookcase she saw at Macy's, a couple of new school clothes and school supplies for Amelie.

Misty collected the items she needed before exiting the apartment as quickly as she came, taking one last look at it. She probably wouldn't see it for a bit.

Returning to the chic apartment, Misty was surprised to find it dark except for candlelights that lit up the stairway to Cordelia's bedroom.

The younger woman followed the trail of lights up the stairs and into the beautiful suite that was a mixture of pale purple and beige. It was very classy, as were everything else about Cordelia who she spotted standing near the windows, back facing the door.

The Cajun sneaked up behind the older witch and slipped her hands around the thin waist. Cordelia swirled around and placed a delicate kiss on Misty's lips which was received and returned immediately by multiple pecks around her face.

"I can't believe it, Dee..."

"I can't either… But this I can…" and from her pocket, Cordelia pulled out a sapphire crystal necklace that glimmered under the candlelights, "the girls beat me to this but… Misty Day, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Ta' make it official?" Misty repeated Cordelia's words, a twinkle in her eyes.

"To make it official." Cordelia said firmly.

"Yes with all ma' heart, Dee."

Cordelia beamed and turned Misty around so she could put the necklace on for her.

Misty played with it, "It's beautiful...

"Just like you, Mist."

###

"Now the law insists you have to sleep on my bed."

"Ya' can't make me. Is that why ya' wanted ta' claim me as girlfriend? Jus' fo' ya' information, I ain't ya' wife yet so I ain't got no law ta' follow," Misty teased.

"Is that your subtle way of asking me to propose now?" the older woman joked back.

Cordelia's fingers laced into her lover's. Today had been the most magical day of her life. First the girls, now this. She felt a weight shift onto the bed. A tear slipped down her face sideways onto the pillow and she turned away to face the wall in a pathetic attempt to hide her crying face.

Misty saw Cordelia's shoulders rise up and down in uneven rhythms.

"Why are ya' cryin'?" Misty asked, concerned as she flipped her lover back to face her.

Cordelia gasped at the sudden movement, not expecting the Cajun to be so strong as to flip her a 180 degrees.

"It's just… today was so..."

"It was amazin'."

Cordelia nodded her head before breaking into a full sob, resting her head in the crook of Misty's neck, tears seeping into Misty's white blouse making it sheer. Misty ran her hand through Cordelia's golden hair in an attempt to soothe her crying lover.

After a couple of minutes, the sobs quietened down and Misty wiped away the tears that have fallen from those beautiful eyes.

"Turn ova'," Misty commanded.

Cordelia obliged and she felt Misty's body flush against her back, tight arms pulled her deeper into the snuggle.

This was the safest she had felt in a long time.

###

Cordelia had her personal lawyer come over to the house the next day which was a Saturday. All four blondes were excited when the intercom rang.

"Send him up!" Cordelia yelled from the kitchen intercom.

Mr Clair stood in a full smart suit as he exited the elevator.

"Good morning ladies, and good morning to you two," he said ruffling the hairs of both the girls', "it's a good morning for all of us?"

"Yes it is, Fred! It's always nice to see you."

Fred Clair had been their family lawyer for many years now. He was first introduced to Cordelia via Hank but she had since grown her own friendly relationship with the wise lawyer.

"Now, from what I hear, we are making a family today?"

Misty approached the dining table where her entire family was.

"Okay so, I've prepared all the necessary documents. And you just have to sign here," he pointed to a blank spot, flipping the paper over, "and here, and here."

Misty hung herself over the seated Cordelia, peering over her shoulders at the papers.

"ADOPTION PAPERS" it said.

Misty's daze was broken by the lawyer who called her over to the seat opposite Cordelia with another set of papers.

"Same thing for you, Miss. Here, here and here."

"And that will make it official?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes. In all fifty states in the US. In the entire of the world in fact." Mr Clair stated.

Misty looked at Cordelia who was biting her lips nervously. Her hand reached over the table to squeeze her lover's sending a signal of reassurance. Cordelia looked up at Misty, lip still between her teeth and a dizzy smile formed.

"WAIT!" A shout came from the living room.

All eyes were on Fiona as she entered the kitchen in a full black ensemble, her coat still hanging from her shoulders.

Cordelia shot her a questioning look, wondering why she was here.

"I can't miss this. Delia's making a family."

"Right... Mother... Why are you really here?"

"Never mind that. Just continue." Fiona said, unwilling to explain that it was because she knew since Hank had betrayed her daughter, Cordelia had always had trust issues. That was till she met Misty, who was probably just perfect in every way. Fiona secretly prayed that this would end well for her daughter.

With that, the lawyer brandished two gold tipped fountain pens and slid them to the women who subsequently took them and signed their names on the necessary pages.

"And... that makes you guys a family! Congratulations to you both, especially you, Cords. I know how long you've wanted this."

Misty pushed her chair away and made her way back around the table and lifted the shorter blonde from her seat in bridal fashion, cradling her between her arms like a baby.

Cordelia let out a scream and then sweet laughter followed behind.

"Put me down!"

"Nah, I like ya' here."

Fiona felt a smile slipping from her lips as she looked at how happy her daughter was. They weren't even getting married. That day would be nothing less of _magical._


	8. In Which, We Visit Hawaii

"WE ARE IN HAWAIIIIIII" Amy exclaimed in Misty's arms as they stepped into the resort.

It was finally Fall break for the girls and Cordelia took the opportunity to bring her new found family for the vacation of their lives. She had booked them tickets to Hawaii where neither Misty nor Cordelia nor the girls had been.

"Yea, sweet pea," Cordelia whispered into Amelie's ear as she planted a soft kiss onto her daughter's temple.

Their family looked like one of those happy families in picture frames. The girls were dressed in matching overalls, sandals and a sun hat to top it off. Cordelia had sunglasses sitting atop her nose, and she donned a floral print button up with white khaki shorts. The Cajun on the other hand had navy cargo shorts on with a yellow tank top that matched her messy curls tied behind her head, with a cap to protect her from the sun.

Julienne was sitting on one of their luggages as the women checked in to their hotel for the week.

"My gosh! Are you a family?" gushed the hotel receptionist, "Your girls are so cute!"

"Ya' bet," Misty bragged as she pecked her lover on the lips.

###

"Holy shit!" Julienne cheered as she entered their suite.

"LANGUAGE!" Misty shouted while her lover simply shook her head. The both of them had no idea where the girls had picked up such foul language and were both quite displeased with it.

It was an open concept suite so the living room, kitchen and dining area were all in one big room that led out to a balcony overlooking the beach below. There were two bedrooms, the first had a four post bed in the middle while the other had two single beds. The general theme of the suite was wood and it had off-white walls and it's decor was completed with multiple traditional paintings.

Both Misty and Cordelia grunted as they pushed the single bed together to form one big "princess bed" as per requested by their daughters.

With the excuse that they were planning a top secret princess tea party, their daughters had sent Misty and Cordelia back to the other room which sat across.

"Girls be girls..." Cordelia sighed as she slumped into the california king. Misty rolled onto the bed as well but was now standing on her two feet atop the bed.

"What are you..." The older woman said, eyes running the length of the Cajun's body but before their eyes could meet, she felt herself bounce on the bed.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS?" Cordelia managed to get out as the younger woman jumped up and down on the bed, causing her to flop all over.

"For a very long time, Dee" the Cajun snickered.

###

The first few days were spent frolicking in the clear ocean. But by the fourth day, Cordelia had retreated to a deck chair further up the beach and laid there ordering drink after drink while looking at Misty build sand castles with the girls.

Now, it was already the sixth and final day here. They would be flying off early next morning. The girls had found some new friends that were their age and were now currently scavenging for seashells. Misty on the other hand was changing into her swimsuit and had left Cordelia alone.

"Mommy! Look at this!" Julienne yelled in the direction of Cordelia's deck chair that sat under a large umbrella.

Cordelia raised her head a little, not quite looking and gave a thumbs up to her daughter, hoping it was enough to appease their need for attention. She just wanted some peace and quiet for 10 seconds as an adult… She found herself sighing inwardly as she heard tiny footsteps approaching her.

"Mom… Ya' got ta' look at this!" Amelie shrieked, tugging Julienne behind her. The older woman breathed out a heavy breath before removing her sunglasses to look at what her daughters had presented her with.

It wasn't some sort of seashell she was looking at. It was some kind of tropical crab they had caught and Cordelia's eyes widened with shock as her daughters held the crab dangerously close to her face.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD" Cordelia cursed, a bunch of expletives following behind as she scrambled to her feet, backing away from the two cheeky girls.

Now, she was running backwards at full speed as her daughters chased her around the hotel's private part of the beach until she crashed into someone.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She apologized to the unknown figure, turning around to acknowledge him or her but she remained rooted in the ground when it was Misty who greeted her.

"Hey, Dee, whatcha' doin'? Havin' fun without me?" Misty said as she picked Cordelia up from the sand and brushed the small beads off.

"Mama!" the girls yelled synchronised and held up the reddish orange crab for the younger woman to see.

"Aww sweet, why don't ya' go catch some more crabs for mama?" Misty replied casually, as a stunned Cordelia continued staring at her girlfriend's toned body.

Even though they had been dating now for sometime now, their relationship had never quite went past kissing and cuddling yet as Misty had told the older woman she wanted to take it slow. So, when she saw that Misty was dressed in a beautiful bikini that showed off her toned body, she couldn't help but feel her jaw drop.

"Where has the bikini been this whole time? Why has it only appeared on the last day of our vacation?" Cordelia marvelled, questioning whether this was real.

"Ya' dirty girl," Misty remarked, "can't wait to take advantage of me?"

Cordelia felt the tips of her ears grow dark with embarrassment and then a soft hand dipping under the fabric of her two piece sun outfit, caressing her bare back. It sent chills down her spine and a funny feeling in the bottom of her heart.

The older woman's mouth caught a lower lip between her teeth and bit down on it, causing a whimper to escape from the captive mouth.

Wandering hands found their way to one of Cordelia's butt cheeks and she felt a hard but gentle squeeze from above the fabric.

"MOM! Ew!" the children exclaimed as they returned from their crab catching trip, causing both women to break apart and flush under the hot sun.

"Get a room, Moms!" Julienne commented as she put her hand in her bucket to fish out another crab.

###

The whole family spent a few more hours at the beach before retreating back into their hotel, done for the day.

The girls had managed to wear themselves out and both fallen asleep in their mother's arms as they carried them back.

"Well, today was eventful." Cordelia chatted, exiting her daughters' room and closing the door behind her.

The taller blonde sauntered over to her lover who had settled onto the couch in their living area and passed her a glass of red wine she had poured earlier.

It was silent for a moment as the both of them sipped on their wine, sitting side by side, gaze focussed on the view of the ocean, ears perked up listening to the sound of waves crashing onto rocks somewhere not so far away.

It was finally Misty who made a move first, her hand running up the length of Cordelia's thighs as she scooted closer to her lover, making the gap between them impossibly small.

Cordelia took the signal and turned her body towards the Cajun while getting her hands tangled in the wispy golden mane.

The both of their bodies were in sync now, each craving for the touch of the other which left trails of fire burning where their skin touched.

In the heat of the passion, Cordelia panted, "Are you sure you want this, Misty?"

"Yes..." Misty breathed out as she nibbled on Cordelia's ears.

The both of them stood up and stumbled their way to the bedroom, bumping into walls and furniture on their way day. Cordelia's rear end hit the side of the bed and she lost her balance, causing her to fall backwards onto the bed, Misty crashing down on top of her.

Cordelia moved her hand to tug off Misty's skimpy top and set her breasts free, enveloping a nipple in her warm wet mouth. Misty moaned loudly before yanking off the rest of Cordelia's sun dress, leaving them both stark naked except for their underwear.

The both of them paused to admire each other.

"I don't know how to continue from here..." Misty admitted, lowering her weight onto Cordelia. She honestly didn't know if she COULD continue from her.

"Then let me show you," was said as the experienced woman flipped over, Misty now beneath here.

Misty's breath hitched. The first flashback hit her like a bullet train.

Cordelia took her panties off, and slipped the Cajun's one off, discarding them in a corner of the room to be long forgotten.

Misty took a deep breath again as Cordelia slipped a hand between the Cajun's wet folds, seeking for a particular bud that would make her jump.

The swamp witch closed her eyes. _Breathe. Breathe._

Cordelia was too caught up with herself to notice that the woman below her had grown awfully quiet.

"Mist, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" Cordelia said, as Misty's hips went stiff from fear against her hands.

The younger blonde gave a forced nod and the older woman smiled, mistaking Misty's uneasiness for first time nerves. Cordelia slipped a finger into her lover.

 _Enjoying this. Cordelia's words rang throughout her mind. Enjoying this._

 _Enjoying this._

 _Enjoying this._

The sweet voice slowly morphed into a terrifying grunt.

Cordelia's face grew a beard and her golden silky hair became a mess of grey colour chia pet, that sat atop an ever growing old face. A stink became overwhelming familiar as Misty slipped into her flashback.

His grunts became more apparent as he slammed himself repeatedly into Misty's lifeless body.

"Stop..." she cried, her curls sticking to her face which was wet from tears.

"Aren't ya' enjoyin' this, ya' filthy witch." the man muttered in a southern drawl as he coughed and spat onto her face.

And with one last grunt, Misty felt his seed spill into her womb, coating it in it's entirety. He pulled himself out and continued to jerk off himself on her stomach before redressing her in that yellow sun dress she had been dragged in, it's color already faded.

"She's all yours now," the man growled as he passed her off to another man who lifted the hem of her dress, exposing her privates again. The initial shock had washed over and now she was just fighting for her life, thrashing around.

"Baby, baby!" Cordelia called out in a strained voice as she wrapped her hands around her lover who was in some sort of trance. And even though she had ensured her visions were shut off, her world fell into Misty's swampy home as she saw Misty getting raped again and again by filthy old men before getting burnt at the stake.

"Misty Day!" Cordelia tried again, now uncaring whether she woke anyone up as she tried shaking her lover from the flashback.

In desperation, Cordelia slapped Misty across the face.

That seemed to do it. Misty snapped back into reality, and her first reflex was to cover her body with the duvet covers, hand to her cheek.

"Mommy?" a sleepy voice came from the other side of the door.

"Coming!" Cordelia shouted back as she scrambled to get her hand through the bathrobe, fastening it around her slender waist.

When she opened the door, she found her two tiny blondes standing in their pajamas, Julienne sucking on her thumb while Amelie rubbed her eyes.

"We heard shouting..." Amelie stated sleepily, looking to her new mother for an explanation.

"Oh, honey, everything is okay now. You two go back to sleep?"

"Okay..." Amelie accepted, seeing as her mother looked alright now.

The older witch closed the door and trained her eyes on the swamp witch who was now huddled up, back pressed against the headboard.

Cordelia opened her mouth, but finding no words, closed them again before sliding herself onto the bed, sitting cross legged opposite the Cajun.

She bit on her lip nervously, unsure of what to say to the traumatized wild blonde, whose hair was now going all places.

To her surprise, the wild blonde spoke up first.

"I… Dee… I'm sorry. I thought… I thought I was ready."

"I should be the one saying sorry. I knew and yet I..."

"Ya' knew?"

"I had a vision of it a few months back. But it was your past and I didn't want to pry on it. It was a suppressed memory so I could only get a glimpse. I wasn't sure what was happening but I had another more intense vision just now. You don't have to explain, baby. I know everything now. I am so sorry..."

Misty felt a breath she didn't know she had been holding escape from her lips and she sent an apologetic glance towards her lover.

Cordelia stood up and walked over to the bathroom to get ahold of the other bathrobe, throwing it in Misty's direction and the Cajun put it on in a beat.

The older woman slid into the duvet covers next to her lover and the Cajun gripped her hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

"It was awful, Dee."

"I know, baby… I know..."

"Why did it have to be me?" The Cajun looked at Cordelia with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know, Misty but you're here now, and you're safe now."

"I want to forget, but I don't think I ever can."


	9. In Which, Misty Lets Go

The next day came in a snap and it was time for them to leave for home.

Misty was now back to her normal bubbly self with the girls. She found herself having a sudden burst of energy, lifting Julienne piggy back style while Amelie was sitting on her hip.

Cordelia couldn't help but whip out her phone to snap a picture of the girls hanging off Misty like chimpanzees on a tree as they entered the airport, Cordelia lugging both suitcases behind her.

But as they buckled the girls into their seats for the long flight back to the city, Misty avoided eye contact with the older woman, even flinching when Cordelia squeezed her shoulders.

Settling into their seats, Cordelia couldn't help but not understand why Misty was suddenly so distant from her.

She gripped tightly onto her lover's hands that was positioned between the arm rest of their seats.

"Hey… Do you want to talk?"

"Nah, all's right." Misty breathed heavily.

"You sure? It doesn't seem like it to me."

The younger blonde shut her eyes silently, not replying the concerned blonde that sat next to her.

Cordelia figured Misty just needed sometime to process last night so she sank back into her seat, hoping that her lover would be ready to talk about it soon.

###

Since it was a morning flight, the flight attendants came midway through the 10 hour trip to serve out lunch.

"Miss, would you prefer salmon or seafood pasta?"

"Salmon," Cordelia looked a the younger blonde receiving a nod, "for the both of us. Could you get our daughters' pasta? Salmon is too messy."

"Sure, Miss, here is your salmon."

"Can ya' get me a glass of vodka ta'?" Misty sounded out, which startled Cordelia since she had been quiet since they last spoke four hours ago.

"Sure, Miss, here you go."

Misty received the alcohol from the young attendant.

"You don't drink hard liquor."

"I do now," Misty retorted as she gulped the entire glass down in one chug.

As the flight drew on, Cordelia tried multiple times to speak to Misty about what had happened last night but to no avail. Something was very wrong with Misty here.

Misty's mind was in a mess. After last night, would she ever have the courage to try out intimacy again? She knew she _couldn't_ and she knew Cordelia would accept it as it is. But that was just selfish of her.

 _Was Cordelia better off without her?_

###

Fiona had called them a driver to pick them up at the airport which was a great decision since the girls were so cranky and tired due to the time zone changes and were throwing huge tantrums all the way home.

Dinner was steaming hot and ready by the time they got home, which Cordelia was eternally grateful for as it seemed to calm the girls down a little bit.

After dinner, Cordelia found herself alone with Misty again, the tension in the air ever growing.

Misty was deep in thought, looking out into the city skyline, the sun was setting into the horizon far beyond, turning each cloud a different shade of pink as the tiny brownstones casted long shadows that faded as each minute past.

 _Would Cordelia be better off without her?_

She turned around to meet teary bi-colored eyes.

"You are right in front of my eyes, yet why do I feel that you are so far away?" Cordelia whispered to herself.

"Just gimme some time, Dee. I need some time." Misty whispered back.

"But..."

"I needa process where we can go from here, Dee. Please… just please be patient."

That night, for the first time since they began dating, each kept to their own side of the bed.

###

For the next few days, Misty continued to give Cordelia the cold shoulder.

"Misty, will you talk to me now?" Cordelia tried for what seemed like the millionth time.

The taller woman just turned her gaze towards her before looking back out at the windows again.

"If you won't," the shorter blonde said standing up, walking towards her estranged lover, "then at least talk to her."

She slid a piece of paper into Misty's hands before walking away.

 _Dr. Kristine Jude_

 _+1-(212)-894-4673_

The paper in itself was self-explanatory. Cordelia wanted Misty to see a therapist.

Misty didn't need to. She had survived all 7 years with this trauma didn't she? Why would it be any different now? Was this Cordelia's subtle way of telling her that their relationship isn't at a place where she wanted it to be?

 _Would Cordelia be better off without her?_

Cordelia was worried. Ever since Misty came back from the trip, she had been all weird and distant. Sure, their little session brought back some repressed memories but this was different. _Misty was trying to drift away on purpose._

###

The rest of the week passed in a blink of an eye and nothing about Misty changed.

She still kept to herself most of the time, going to work, returning back home, playing with the girls and then giving Cordelia the cold shoulder.

So after another week of silence passed, Cordelia decided she had enough of being treated like a transparent piece of glass.

She crossed her arms and stood in Misty's way as she was about to head off to work.

"Dee..." Misty breathed as she tried to go around the shorter blonde.

"No, Misty! You won't talk to me, hell, you won't even acknowledge my existence! What have I done to deserve this? And when are you going to see the therapist I told you about." Cordelia said.

"Dee… we can talk when I get home. I gotta work now." Misty muttered under her breath.

"No! Work shouldn't be on your mind right now. Recovering should be!"

"What d'ya mean I don't gotta have ma' mind on work? I gotta pay fo' Amelie's fees. Besides, recovery can wait-"

"I can pay for it. For Amelie's school fees, she is my daughter as much as she is yours and it's only right," Cordelia blurted out.

"No." Mist said firmly, "No, you don't get to do this."

"Do what? I am trying to help you, Misty."

"Do this. Treat me like some beggar-"

"I am not! I am just trying to help you Misty, you obviously need help and I'd much rather you spend that time at therapy than go to work!"

"No, Delia," Misty said with so much force Cordelia flinched. _Delia._ What ever happened to Dee?

"Why not?!" Cordelia almost screamed, matching the tone the Cajun had used, hoping to understand what nonsense the younger woman was talking about. She simply wanted to help. Was that not allowed? Amelie was her daughter too! It's on the legal documents.

"Because, ya' don't get ta', Delia, and that is final." the taller woman growled.

"Then help me understand," the older blonde demanded.

Misty looked into pained blue-brown eyes that seeked explanation for the sudden outburst.

Cordelia would never understand. She was never poor, she never had been. She never had to skip a meal. She never had her utilities cut off. Misty had spent the past six years, scrimping, saving, taking up odd jobs so she could send her daughter to this school and here Cordelia was, a million dollars in cash at her fingertips. They lived in very different worlds. Cordelia was born privileged and Misty was not, but that didn't mean Cordelia could undermine her ability of living by shoving wads of cash and gifts in her direction. Those were the luxuries she never wanted. She never asked for them. Cordelia was doing what she thought pleased Misty but in fact, Misty just wanted to live a simple life. A life where she had her daughter and her plants and her Stevie.

But no, Cordelia had to mess it up for her. In the past, she could only dream of having a working heater in the room through the winter but now Cordelia had dangled the carrot above her head. No, now… Now she not only wanted heated rooms. She wanted heated showers. Heated car seats. She wanted warm coats. That was no lifestyle for her. She was supposed to be content with a warm room! Where did all these luxuries come from? She had fallen in love with a woman, very much unattainable in her lifetime and now that woman was offering to give her everything. Scrap warm coats, this woman was willing to give her the newest designer coats directly from the runways.

 _Was Cordelia better off without her? No. Cordelia would still be Cordelia with or without her. She wouldn't be better of. Nothing would change._

 _Cordelia was her tribe. But was she Cordelia's?_

She felt flames of fury flash through her eyes at this thought. Why was Cordelia doing this to her? What was she going to do when this woman fell out of love with her? It wouldn't only be her heart that was broken. No, her whole world was going to sink and Amelie, poor Amelie would have to go back to living that horrible life with her.

Tear glazed eyes refocused on bi-colored ones again before nonchalantly pushing her lover aside, as she marched the rest of the length to the elevator.

"You stop right there, Misty Day," the older blonde spoke in a ragged voice, trying to stop the tears from slipping down onto her cheeks.

Misty stood there, unmoving, waiting to hear what else the shorter blonde had to say.

When silence greeted her, Misty walked right of that apartment, never looking back.

###

Cordelia stood at the same exact place where Misty had left her, staring dumbfoundedly at the elevator door, waiting for Misty to come running back to her but it didn't happen.

Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor in a sobbing heap, hands rubbing bicolored eyes as they got redder by the second.

How could Misty just walk away like that? What did this mean for them?

###

Misty turned up at work looking like she had just been mobbed on the subway. Her tears were still fresh as she was engulfed in a hug by Kyle.

"Heyy, Mist… Looks like the news already got to you, huh?" Kyle said apologetically.

"What? What news?" Misty said between hiccups, pulling away to look at her friend.

"I'm joining the army."

"WHAT?! Can this day get any worse?!" Misty bawled, crying into her friend's shoulder as another wave of sadness hit her.

"Wait… What happened?" Kyle asked again, realising that it wasn't the news of his departure that left his friend in tears.

"Jus'... Cordelia..."

"Oh, what did that woman do. I will punch her."

"No… I think… I think I need to leave her..."

"What why? You guys were doing so great."

Misty simply shook her head and nuzzled deeper into the broad shoulders of Kyle's, uncaring that her shift had long started.

###

Their manager had excused them from their shift when she was greeted with the sight of Misty's bawling, saying something like they should have sometime together before he leaves.

"So… When are ya' leavin'?"

"Two days from now."

"Are ya' fuckin' kiddin' me right now? Why didn't ya' tell me earlier?"

"They just contacted me yesterday to say my application went through and I'm headed for South Carolina for MCRD in Lincoln Island in three days."

"So ya' just leave me here? Alone?"

"Mist… I thought you had Cordelia… I'm so sorry… And I really wanted to make something out of myself. Joining the Marines was the best option. You serve your country. It's really a glorious job. I didn't want to be a waiter my whole life."

"Yea, let's not talk 'bout her. And ya' are right. Ya' should go, Kyle. Imma' so proud of your decision."

###

Misty returned home to her apartment which was now covered in a sheet of dust, causing her to let out a few sneezes as she navigated her way to the bedroom.

Cordelia and her were not working out… Kyle was joinin' the army… Joinin' the army...

 _And I really wanted to make something out of myself. Joining the Marines was the best option. You serve your country. It's really a glorious job. I didn't want to be a waiter my whole life._

 _Joining the army…_

She picked up her phone and dialled for the boy.

###

After talking some things over, Misty pulled out a pen and a few pieces of scrap paper,

 _Dearest Cordelia,_

She felt her hand shake as she wrote those words. It was the tremor of fear. Of knowing she was leaving something so precious behind. It was the fear of the unknown and everything else between.

After biting the tip of her pen for a bit, the subsequent lines came flowing out in whispers as Misty finished up her letter.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry..."


	10. In Which, Cordelia's Heart Aches

Cordelia sat up in her luxurious 1000 thread count sheets, rubbing her eyes.

Amelie was at the foot of her bed, tugging at her blanket.

"Yes, baby?" Cordelia said in a voice that was still thick with slumber.

"Where's Mama?" Amelie asked innocently.

The morning for the past two days have started like that. Ever since Misty left for work that day, she never came back to the penthouse. A taste of bitterness grew from within as Cordelia searched her soul for an excuse of the child's absent mother.

"Oh… Mama won't be back sometime soon..." she tried.

"Why?" felw back almost immediately from that angelic face.

"Uh… She has some important stuff to attend to dear, now why don't we go get ready for school, huh?" Cordelia said, changing the subject, not wanting to dwell on it.

Where the _hell_ was Misty anyway. Cordelia expected her to be back in about a day but she hadn't contacted the older woman since the quarrel and Cordelia couldn't help but miss her.

Cordelia shoved her cell phone into a black prada bag and herded both girls out into the elevator. She was going to find that wild blonde, apologize and bring her back today.

###

The blonde woman had her straight hair up in a bun and was wrapped tightly in one of her newest trench coat. She pressed the doorbell before stepping back, waiting for the door to open.

A minute passed.

"Misty? It's me. I know you're home because your car's parked downstairs."

 _Silence._

"Misty… Come on… I'm sorry, okay? Will you just come out?"

 _Silence._

Cordelia saw no choice but to transmutate herself into the apartment. She looked around for a bit before realising it was empty. No, empty was the wrong word. It was _cleaned out._

She felt panic thump against her chest rapidly as shrill pitch began ringing in her ears and Cordelia repressed her emotions long enough to whip out her cellphone to dial for the Cajun, only to hear the familiar ringtone bounce off the same walls she faced. Stepping carefully into the bedroom, she found Misty's phone laying next to a letter, folded with crisped edges, and with sharp cursive handwriting, it wrote, "Cordelia."

"No, no, no," she whispered, "Misty… No… What have you done?" her voice cracking after every word, the lump in her throat growing with each second. Her fingers ghosted over her written name, hoping and praying that this was not it.

Flipping it open with shaky hands, Cordelia stared blankly at the paper.

 _Dearest Cordelia,_

 _I'd never thought there'd come a day where I will be writing this._

Cordelia feels dizzy and weak, she begins to fall towards to floor when Fiona shows up out of nowhere. "Delia," she calls out in a heartbreaking yell, catching her daughter before she hits the ground.

She watches as her daughter breaks down into a sob that quakes throughout her whole body, slipping from her mother's grasp onto the floor, burying her head in her mother's thighs, gripping onto the fabric of the black dress like a child needing a mother's comfort.

 _Finding you was the second best thing that ever happened me. The first being Amelie's birth and I am leaving her to you too. Believe me when I say this hadn't come as an easy decision but I know, if she comes with me, she will only have the life before you to come back to everyday and I will not allow that. Where I have chosen to go, I cannot bring her, so please don't tell her that her Momma had abandoned her because that is the furthest thing from truth. I have seen first hand how much you love my daughter and I need you to promise me, you will continue loving her even when I am no longer by your side._

"Cordelia, you're okay. I promise. Just sit up." Fiona says as she puts her hand on her daughter's back, running soothing circles up and down in a repetitive motion.

"I don't think I can do this." Cordelia's voice breaks along with all the strength she once held within her.

"No. You are stronger than this. You want to let this overcome you? My daughter doesn't give up. She fights. She fought to overcome the betrayal her husband put her through, she fought for her daughter, hell, she fought for me. You are not giving up, Delia. You are not."

 _Please, Dee, do not waste anymore time on me. The past three months have been nothing short of magical but our time is up. In truth, I cannot bring myself to face you anymore. I am not worth your time, but our daughters are. I have nothing to offer to you now, but I promise, when I make something out of myself, I will come back for you. But in the meantime if you find someone else, go for it. You will always fare better without me. Do not blame yourself for my departure. It was my choice and I accept the consequences that come with it._

Cordelia opens her eyes to meet the brown ones of her mother's who slowly turn into the blue ones she missed so much. She momentarily pictures the blonde going about writing this letter, the heavy steps, the crying. Cordelia screws her eyes shut, gasping for air as the poison of sadness coursed through her veins where magic used to be.

"Why does everyone leave me?" Cordelia's pained voice comes through.

 _Amelie and Julienne, they mean so much to me and when they grow up, I will probably be a hazy distant memory and they will probably wonder how I was really like. Was I nice? Bad? Kind? Amazin'? I am pretty sure I was amazin' but I am leaving the rest of the story to you so please, don't paint me as a villain. There is a box in the drawer of my bedside table and in there, I put a picture of me when I was teeny tiny. And a picture of me with Amelie in the hospital. And the last one is for you, a picture of our perfect family._

Fiona wraps her hands tighter around her daughter as the final breakdown commences.

"Delia, let it all out," Fiona breathed, resting her head on her daughter' s blonde hair as she too, screwed her eyes shut, a single tears sliding down her prominent cheekbone. Wispy hair from age blew in the wind that didn't exist.

 _There will come a day when I will seek you out again. But until then, read a good book and live life to your fullest. To quote Lin Manuel, love is love is love is love. And I love you. And Amelie. And Julienne._

Cordelia let out a loud cough, choking on her own sadness as the she felt her heart get butchered, her love taken away. This wasn't simple sadness. This was everything between disparity and bitterness. It was grief and heartache, it was the desperation that loomed closely behind.

This was it. She had officially lost Misty. She thought she could only watch as her lover slipped away but now, now there was nothing to look at except the letter that was damp with tears now.

 _Forever and always._

 _I love you,_

 _Misty Day_

Everything was a void now.

The world went black.

A/N: Next 10 chapters will be up in the next week! Having some trouble uploading the files D:


	11. In Which, We See Them

(Six Months After, April)

 _I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America_ _,_ _and to the Republic for which it stands, one_ _N_ _ation_ _under God_ _, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all._

Misty stood, hand raised in a proud salute as she pledged her allegiance to her country. Her usual curls were tied neatly in a tight crown braid beneath her sand colored utility cap as she looked at the flag waving in the sky.

She had finally completed all of basic and infantry training. Private Misty Day was now officially sworn in as a Marine in the United States of America. Her eyes caught Kyle's blue ones from across the parade square and they each ran as fast as the wind, through the raining caps and into each other's arms.

Kyle, casually lifting his friend off the ground.

"Kyle, ya' are such a show off." Misty teased as he put her down again.

The past few months have been everything but normal. Most of the time, she felt herself almost forgetting her family back in the city. But she still felt a dull ache in her heart as she pulled a sandy family photo from her left breast pocket.

Through the rigorous training, she had grown significantly muscular as well. Her biceps bulged underneath the tight uniform short fold and boots wrapped around her calves for their dear lives. Her eyes glimmered with tears, knowing that her journey in the Marines was just about to start.

###

"Mommy? What's wrong with Amelie?" Julienne asked as she crunched on her Lucky Charms cereal, looking to her sister who was throwing a big tantrum on the floor.

Amelie had the worst of Misty's departure and with each day, her tantrums grew bigger. It started off as questions that Cordelia simply tried to brush off but when Amelie realised her birth mother was not coming back anytime soon, she went berserk as any child would.

Today however, the tantrum was bigger than ever.

"Amy dear..." Cordelia said as she picked up the screaming and crying child from the floor, placing her on the hip.

"Mama, I want Mama..." she cried pathetically.

"Mommy is here, mommy is here… shhhhh..." Cordelia tried to sooth the child as she pressed her cheek onto the side of her child's head.

"Oh my god, Ames, you're burning up," her hand snaked up to press against the scorching heat of her child's forehead, "Julie, could you get mimi on the phone please?"

Julie shuffled to the phone before pressing on the quick dial.

 _*ringing*_

"Yes, Delia?" the mother said through the phone as Cordelia continued pacing around the room, bouncing the wailing child up and down.

"Mother, Amelie is having a really high fever-"

"She's having a fever?" a shocked voice interrupted her.

"Yea, that's what I said, why?"

"Delia… I'll be right over."

True to her word, she was in the apartment within the next 5 minutes.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked as she passed the child to her mother's outstretched hands.

"This is quite bad… How long has this been going on?"

"I called when I realised. Wait aren't children supposed to get sick once in awhile, I don't see what's so bad about this…"

"Delia, have you forgotten? She's a healer. She's supposed to self heal. She's! Not! Supposed! To! Get! Sick!" the flustered older woman said as she carried the whimpering Amelie around the room in an effort to sooth her.

"We need to get her to the hospital," Cordelia decided in that split second. She felt her the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her blood boiled. Her daughter was acting out only because of one reason and that was Misty Day. _Misty Fucking Day._

"Julienne, come on, you're not going to school today, your sister's sick," Cordelia called out to her mini-me as she packed her bag with her wallet, tissues and cell phone.

Julienne took her mother's hand and the four of them left for the parking lot.

###

"Are you the mother of Miss Amelie Goode-Day?" a nurse approached them at the Langone Medical Center.

"Yes, yes it's me."

"Your daughter is going to be fine, she was a bit dehydrated so the doctor would like to keep her here overnight on an IV to just monitor her and make sure her fever goes down too."

"O-okay, that's a relief," Cordelia said, sinking back into her waiting chair.

"Would you like to see her?"

Cordelia immediately shot up again, nodding her head vigorously as she reached to grab Julienne's arm, following the doctor to a private ward.

"Hi Mommy," a soft voice said as Cordelia placed her other daughter onto the hospital bed.

"Hi baby..." Cordelia whispered, a tiny smile appearing on her face, watching Julienne crawl towards Amelie who returned the tight hug her sister offered.

"Amelie, tell mimi, why haven't you been drinking your water?" Fiona's stern voice came from behind Cordelia as she marched into the room. Fiona had come to this conclusion after speaking with her good friend, Mrytle. All eyes turned on her.

"I have!" the meek voice defended but immediately retracted that statement when she saw Fiona's glare.

"I thought if I got sick… Momma would come see me..." Amelie corrected.

Cordelia's heart broke when she heard that.

"Oh… Sweetheart… Momma… She's got very important things to do now, okay? She'll come back soon. She'll be back soon, Mom promises, okay?"

"But you keep saying that, Mom! And Momma, she hasn't come back home in almost half a year now!" Julienne the wiser one, cut in at the sight of her sister tearing up. She never wanted to see her younger sister, even though just by a few months, sad.

"Baby… I promise she's going to be back soon..."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise," Cordelia confirmed as her pinkies linked with each daughter but she knew deep down, it was a promise she could never keep.

###

While her daughters were distracted by whatever cartoon was on the TV set, Fiona and Cordelia stepped outside to have a word.

"How did you know Amelie wasn't taking her water?" the younger blonde daughter furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought, looking to her mother for an answer.

"I called for Mrytle and the both of us agreed that it wasn't possible for her to get sick unless she wanted to on purpose. The doctor said something about dehydration? I simply tried my luck," Fiona stated, not missing a beat.

"Oh..." Cordelia gulped as she recalled hearing her daughter's words.

 _I thought if I got sick… Momma would come see me…_

That sentence would haunt Cordelia forever.

"I'm… I'm such a bad mother..." Cordelia stated as she stared down at a corner, not looking at her own mother.

"Delia… No. You're everything but that. Misty had her reasons and now, she left her child to you because she felt that _you_ were capable of doing a good job, and you are. Stop belittling yourself, Cordelia. You've had that habit since you were young," Fiona stated factually.

"I just don't know what to do..." Cordelia said again, this time looking into her mother's hard eyes that softened at the look of the bicolored watery ones.

"Oh, Delia, Delia..." Fiona said, acknowledging her daughter's need for a hug as she engulfed her in a tight one.

###

Cordelia looked out from the hospital window that night, wondering where Misty was, whether she was looking at the same moon that was looming high in the pitch black sky tonight.

From her wallet, she took out the photo of all four of them, her fingers ghosting over the wild blonde who looked so happy, Julienne on her shoulders while Cordelia held Amelie on her hips.

 _I miss you so much. Where are you._

She felt her eyes fill with tears as she thought about all the times she had hugged the wild blonde. She missed the way her hair shone in the evening sun and that spring in her step that never went away, even on bad days.

She was angry and she was pissed at Misty. For leaving her daughter, for leaving her. For everything. Why did she have to be so _selfish_.

Pressing her forehead against the cooling glass of the window, she imagined herself in Misty's arms again as her heavy breath fogged up the transparent barriers between their worlds.

And she wished upon a star that Misty would be back soon.


	12. In Which, Misty Calls Home

(2 years later, May)

"Amy! Get your stuff ready! Your sister's recital starts in an hour and we got to get to the florist before that!" Cordelia yelled from upstairs.

"Yea, Mommy! I'm done," Amelie said, stepping out in a navy Kenzo sleeveless polo dress. Her complexion was much darker than it was two years ago since she started tennis lessons about a year and a half ago. Her messy hair was tied out of her face in two dutch braids that ran down to just beneath her collar bones.

Cordelia was wearing a black short sleeved jumpsuit and she had her hair in a ponytail at the back of her head, glasses resting atop her nose.

She had settled into the role of a single mother snugly now, juggling her time between getting Julienne to dance rehearsal, and getting her sister to tennis at the country club outside of town. And getting dinner on the table of course. Since that day, she had taken on cooking classes and she was proud to say now that she and her food were now finally at a good place where neither her mother nor her daughters would dread hearing, "Dinner's ready!"

"Hey, Ames so which one do you want to get for Julie? The white roses? Or the red ones," Cordelia asked as she eyed the tulips at the counter, wondering if she should get them for the empty vase at home.

"Red ones, 'cause me so romantic," Amelie drawled in a french accent, picking a couple of red roses and handing them to the florist.

"Oh my god. Amelie!" the mother of two laughed at her daughter's statement.

Handing her card over to the cashier, Cordelia spun around to look at the third grader who was almost the splitting image of Misty when she was younger.

She couldn't help but think of the wild blonde.

###

Staff Sergeant Misty trudged through the sandy deserts of Baghdad, trying to get from one base camp to another.

Even though she had just been in the Marines for just a little over 2 years now, she had been for one tour, in Kuwait which lasted approximately 10 months and was stationed in Italy for quite a while. Now, she was back in Iraq for her second tour. Misty's name was known all over in the Armed Forces. In two short years, she managed to climb to the ranks of a E-4 Corporal.

"Trent! Come on, don't die in ma' hands!" the dead weight of her friend didn't respond. Their tank had went over a I.E.D. which exploded, causing their tank to flip over. Misty had used her power of resurgence to bring him back but he kept losing blood.

Her brain pounded against its protective skull, beads of perspiration and determination seeped out of her pores. The sweat seeped into her cuts, burning them every so often with a kind of searing pain that was not describable on a scale of 1-10.

Using superhuman strength, Misty lugged her friend, who was twice her weight, across the sandy dunes, hoping to find the medical check point not far from here.

###

The blonde woman bite on her nails as she waited for the doctor to clear her friend's injuries.

"Corporal Day?" an army nurse said.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"He's asking for you."

Misty nodded before picking herself up from the waiting area and entered the other section of the makeshift hospital.

"Day, you've done it again," Trent's weak voice came through, greeting Misty with a fistbump from the bed.

"Trent, ya' gotta' stop tryna' get yourself killed! Next time, I'might jus' leave ya' fo' ya' death!" Misty said, a smile gracing her lips as she saw that he was fine.

"Misty," a yell came from behind and she was greeted by the now burly Kyle who hugged her so tightly she almost couldn't breath.

"I thought I lost you..." Kyle breathed, relieved that his friend was still alive and very much kicking.

"Ya' didn't. Imma' still here," Misty said and looked into his blue eyes.

They heard everyone clap around them, as if they had just earned a standing ovation from their "play".

They were basically like the beckhams but friends version since everyone knew Misty swung the other way. Kyle was like a big protective brother to her.

"You have to get that treated, Mist," he said, looking all over at the small burns and cuts but pointing particularly to the gash at her knee that travelled down diagonally to her mid-calf.

"Nah, it's fine," she said, trying to get up before sitting back down in wincing as the initial shock worn off and the pain set in.

"Thinking twice about that now?" he smirked at his stubborn friend while calling the doctor over to look at her cuts.

###

Misty sat in the corner of her sparse room, which was basically a tent with two foldable chairs, a small table and a stiff bed. Her head felt dizzy with the amount of green. Green chairs, green tables, green bottled, green tent walls, green bed. She rubbed the sides of her temples, soothing her pounding head.

Dressed down in her half uniform, she felt the heat get to her anyway, the sweat seeping through her olive green undershirt.

Like her daughter, whom she hadn't seen in over two years now, she too had grown significantly tanner from being under the middle eastern sun. The Cajun smiled as she saw Kyle enter with a bottle that was sweating.

"Wow, where d'ya get 'da cold water?" her voice echoed in the bottle as she took a big mouthful.

"It's my pee," he said with so much conviction, Misty believed him for a second and spat the water out.

"Ya' mean your pee's cold?" Misty laughed as she took another sip of the refreshing plain water.

Kyle laughed along, unfolding the chair and sitting on it. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the state of serenity the tent was in.

"Have you contacted her?" Kyle finally asked.

He didn't even have to say her name but Misty already knew he was talking about Cordelia.

"No," she looked away, ashamed.

"When?" he asked.

"Not yet, no, it's still too soon."

"Too soon? Misty! It's been two years and you almost died today. I'm sure as hell she's worried. You disappeared with just a note, leaving your daughter behind with her? No calls, no letters? If I knew it was going to be like that, I wouldn't have brought you along, Mist," he said in a tone of regret, the fact that they had a broken family was because he had planted the seed of thought in Misty.

"No, Kyle this ain't yer' fault, I _chose_ this, I chose to leave and besides, soon. I'll call 'em... Soon," she reiterated, looking at her friend.

"Okay, just… Mist… You know I can't force you to do anything but I don't want you to regret, you know?You know better than anyone that you're leaving a lot behind, Misty. I don't have anyone but you have a whole family. You know how things are here, we might not live to see another day! If you die here, you have a lot to lose." he gestured wildly, hoping to convince the blonde.

"I know, Kyle, I know." Misty said in such a soft whisper, Kyle wasn't sure he heard it.

###

Misty got up from her bed, unable to sleep as her mind kept burning with what Kyle had said to her earlier today.

She checked the time on her watch.

 _1:09 AM Baghdad, Iraq_

That would mean it was approximately 6:09 PM in the US EST.

Sand crushed under her boots as she made her way to the payphone in another tent not too far away.

Carefully and slowly, she recalled and dialled in the unfamiliar home number she had shoved to the back of her brain.

 _*ringing*_

"Hello? Goode-Day residence, may I help you?" a sweet voice came through that Misty immediately recognised as Julienne's.

 _Goode-Day residence?_ Misty would've thought Cordelia drop her name but she didn't.

"Hiya, kid. Could ya' get your Mother?"

"Mommy! Some lady's asking for you," Julienne yelled while Misty grimaced as she held the phone away from her ear.

There was loud shuffling on Cordelia's end before another voice came through.

"Hi," Misty was startled by the child's voice. It was Amelie.

"Sorry 'bout that, we just got home from Julie's ballet recital. She has some homework to do and my Mommy's a bit busy with the cooking now, she'll talk to you in a bit. Are you in a rush, Miss?"

"Nah, nah… I can wait..." Misty stammered, unable to hold her cool when she heard her daughter's voice.

The line was silent for a moment as each party searched for something to talk about while waiting. Misty felt a lump rising in her throat as she held her voice back. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask. Her head hung low, breathing in deeply as she heard muffled talking on the other end of the phone.

"So… My mommy wants to ask if you're the salesperson because if you are, she wants me to tell you that whatever you are selling we either have it at home, have it but thrown it away, have it but it's lost or do not want it. So you gotta' hang up. That's what she said."

"Oh, haha, no, I'm not tryna' sell ya' anything, Amelie," Misty laughed slightly, the edges of her mouth curving into a slight smile.

"Wait," the voice said, and Misty frowned.

"What is it?"

"How do you know my name?" the voice questioned.

"I… I… Uh… I'm yer' Mom's friend..." Misty fabricated, trying to cover herself up but she knew that her cover had been blown.

"Where did you get that accent from… It's the same one my Momma has," the voice said, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Misty didn't know how to reply to that. She swallowed in her now dry mouth, kicking sand, not replying as silence grew thick.

And then the voice asked ever so softly in a hopeful tone, "Is that you... Momma?"

"No," Misty snapped in breath, defenses up, ready to deflect any bullets that came her way but she simply received a defeated,

"Oh. I should've known. You sound quite like her. Sorry, Miss. I'll get my mom,"

Misty panicked.

"Do ya' miss her, you're Momma, I mean, do you blame her?" Misty asked suddenly just as Amelie was about to call for her mother, her question in a jumbled mess.

"Yea, I do, Miss. I miss her very much. And no. My Mom says she had her reasons and besides, I know she will come back soon. I know she will," the sweet voice said with much certainty.

Misty felt her heart swell at her daughter's words and she sniffled, wiping her tears away with the long sleeved of her field uniform, turning the ones sandy color into a darker shade of brown as tear fell after tear. It was still. Misty pressed her ear into the phone, listening to the steady breathing of her daughter on the other end, like how she always did when they fell asleep in their old apartment. She missed her.

"Thanks Ames, can you go call your sister for dinner? I'll be there in a jiffy," a distant mature voice came through as Cordelia received the call from her daughter.

"Hello? Who is this?" the lisp so close to Misty's ear she could almost feel the breeze of Cordelia's voice.

Misty's breath hitched before it became erratic.

"Hello?"

"Hello? This better not be a prank call," Cordelia huffed, shouting to her daughter, "AMY! Who did she say she was?"

A muffled reply that Misty couldn't hear shouted back and Misty felt herself so overwhelmed by hearing their voices interact. It felt like she was just there, in the midst of their conversation. It was just like she was there. The floodgates opened, releasing a stream of new, fresh tears.

"Hello? I'm sorry, you're a… friend? Which one? And are you okay? You seem to be crying," the concerned voice came through, and for Misty, it felt like a soft caress on her cheek even though they were miles apart.

"I… I don't. I… I…." the deep distinct voice floated through the line.

"Hey, shhh, whoever you are, you're okay. You're going to be okay. You're okay. Should I call someone?"

"No..." Misty's raspy voice croaked as her emotions got the better of her again.

There was stillness on the end of the other line that was unlike any other and it was deafening. Misty was almost sure the older woman had hung up on her until she heard erratic breathing that matched hers in realisation that plagued the both of them.

"Misty?" the voice, now desperate, felt like hands that came through the receiver and strangled Misty who had her eyes screwed shut, tears running down her pale face in the middle of this stifling summer night. She took in another hitched breath.

"Dee..." she confirmed in a choked version of the old nickname before forcefully slamming the pay phone back down into its stand, falling to her knees as she bawled in a mess on the ground, Kyle sliding to his own knees in front of her, holding her weakened shoulders as she wringed each ounce of sadness out of her troubled soul.

 _You're going to be okay._

 ** _A/N: hi, so I'm really having trouble uploading later chapters onto this website! Please proceed to archive03 (I go by the same username there) for the full story that has been completed and to view my other stories as well! I will continue to try to upload them here but in the meanwhile, enjoy them there instead. Thanks and sorry!_**


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